Dr Akmal will not resign as Umno Youth Chief despite earlier hint

SHAH ALAM – Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh will continue to lead the party’s youth wing, despite an earlier hint that he might step aside from frontline politics.

Dr Akmal arrived at KLIA2 at approximately noon today following a trip to Shanghai.

He was met by Umno Youth executive committee (exco) members who gathered to express their full support for his leadership.

Merbok Umno Youth chief Aizat Azam stated that the wing remains united behind Dr Akmal.

“Alhamdulillah, together with fellow Umno Youth exco members, we welcomed Akmal at KLIA2 at 12 pm today.

"Dr Akmal will continue his duties as Umno Youth chief. The Umno Youth exco solidly supports Akmal to continue leading the wing,” he said.

Melaka exco member Mohd Noor Helmy confirmed that Dr Akmal returned to his official duties immediately upon his arrival.

“Everything is fine. Dr Akmal has already started work at 1.15 pm today,” he added.

On Jan 7, Dr Akmal triggered speculation about his future with a cryptic Facebook post suggesting he might exit the political frontline.

“We have tried our best and delivered as best as we could. Perhaps the weakness comes from myself,” he wrote at the time.

The post followed a high-tension Umno Youth special convention last Saturday, where Dr Akmal tabled two controversial motions, calling for cooperation with Pas and for Umno to withdraw from the unity government and return to the opposition bench.

The U-turn has drawn sharp criticism from DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy), which urged Dr Akmal to resign as a state executive councillor if he truly intended to honour his stance against the Unity Government.

In a statement, Dapsy National described Dr Akmal’s repeated hints at leaving as a "political comedy," particularly after Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reaffirmed the party's loyalty to the current administration.