AS reported by The Star, UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh said he would not contest if Barisan Nasional (BN) cooperates with Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the Melaka state election.
He went on to claim that he would rather defend his “principles” than retain his position as the incumbent Merlimau state assemblyman.
My question to the Melaka state EXCO for Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security is which version of your principles should the rakyat believe in?
You accepted an EXCO position in the BN-PH Melaka administration in April 2023 and served alongside a DAP representative for nearly three years. You did not reject the appointment, resign immediately or seek a fresh mandate from Merlimau voters then.
In January 2026, you announced your resignation to “fight DAP to the end” but remained after Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh rejected it.
By July, your supposedly firm principle had become conditional – you would resign only if DAP deputy chairman Nga Kor Ming resigned as a federal minister (for Housing and Local Government).
Toying with electorate’s emotions
Now, with the Melaka state election approaching, it changes again to “I shall not contest”.
You demanded that UMNO withdraw from the federal unity government yet accepted the party’s decision to remain until the end of the term.
You condemn cooperation with PH in Melaka while UMNO ministers – including your own president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi –-continue serving alongside DAP ministers in Putrajaya.
BN already holds 20 of Melaka’s 28 seats. It is Zahid and UMNO’s leadership – not DAP – who opened the door to electoral negotiations.
If you are genuinely opposed to that, then challenge your president and the UMNO supreme council directly instead of repeatedly using DAP as your convenient political punching bag.
After all, whether you contest or otherwise is your personal choice, not a sacrifice requested by the rakyat. It also gives you no personal veto over BN’s electoral strategy or the right of Melaka voters to decide their government.
A genuine principle remains the same whether one is offered an EXCO position, facing an opponent or approaching an election.
When the promised sacrifice repeatedly changes according to the office and political calendar, it is not courage – it is political drama dressed up as conviction.
Akmal certainly deserves the “Principles on Demand Award” – activated before elections, suspended while holding office and re-written whenever political survival requires it. – Aug 24, 2026
Governance advocate and political commentator, Datuk Dr Sivasampoh Kannikuddy is also a group CEO/executive with a background spanning finance, banking and strategic management, including leadership roles with MyOwn Inc. This view first appeared on a X post.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
