SHAH ALAM: Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh has reaffirmed his stance against any attempt to form a government through “tebuk atap” (backdoor manoeuvres), urging all parties to respect the people’s mandate instead.
The Umno Youth chief said, in a Facebook post on Tuesday (April 28), that he has consistently held to this principle, including during the earlier crisis involving a change of mentri besar in Perlis, where actions by several assemblymen sparked anger among supporters and led to some being expelled from the party.
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According to him, there were also calls at the time for a state election to be held as a protest against “tebuk atap”, along with insults and abuse directed at those involved.
“However, when the crisis in Negri Sembilan happened, the tone was different — when I said I do not agree with ‘tebuk atap’, I’m the one getting all sorts of insults,” he said in his post.
Dr Akmal explained that he had openly said Umno could withdraw support from the unity government, but not to form a new government through such a method or in pursuit of positions.
Instead, he said any withdrawal of support should be based on disagreement with what Pakatan Harapan (PH) is doing, while respecting the people’s mandate.
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“If support is withdrawn and the government falls, we must go through the election process to return the mandate to the people — not through ‘tebuk atap’,” he added.
At the same time, he viewed developments involving Perikatan Nasional (PN) assemblymen in Negri Sembilan supporting Barisan Nasional (BN) as a positive step towards uniting Malay-based parties.
However, he stressed that such co-operation should be expressed through elections, not through forming a government via the backdoor.
“I am calling for us to work together in elections, just as my earlier position was to see co-operation between Umno and PAS become a reality,” he said.
Dr Akmal also drew a distinction between principled leaders and blind loyalists, saying the latter tend to justify whatever benefits them and condemned what does not.
“The people need leaders with principles, not fanatics. I stand by my position that Umno should withdraw support and become a dignified Opposition, or face elections — not form a government through the backdoor,” he added.
