Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) has sparked controversy after posting that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s failure to secure house arrest was something worth celebrating. In response, Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh called on Umno to withdraw its support for the unity government in order to defend Malay dignity.
Yeo shared news of Najib continuing to serve his prison sentence on Facebook, describing it as “another thing worth celebrating at the end of the year.”
In a video posted on Facebook, Akmal said Malaysians were aware of the court’s decision rejecting Najib’s application for house arrest, a development that he said had saddened many. He added that what was even more troubling was Najib’s lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, stating that the court’s ruling had weakened the powers of the Malay rulers.
“This effectively weakens the authority of the Malay rulers. What is the point of us being Malay Muslim leaders if we allow this to happen? Today, we are witnessing the powers of the Malay rulers being eroded before our eyes,” he said.
Akmal said many Umno members were deeply saddened by the situation, while some DAP leaders appeared to be celebrating it. While he said they were entitled to their views, he criticised the act of posting celebratory messages publicly, describing it as an insult to Umno.
“I call on Umno members from the grassroots to the top leadership—enough is enough. Let us teach them a lesson by withdrawing our support and becoming an opposition party with dignity. The current government can still be formed even without Umno’s 30 parliamentary seats,” he said.
He urged Malays, including Umno grassroots members, to voice their views at the Umno General Assembly on January 14 next year. Akmal said the assembly should be used as a genuine platform for Malays to express their demands, including calls for Umno to leave the government, rather than limiting such discussions to social media.
“Let this Umno General Assembly become a sacred platform for Malays to speak up and shake the nation,” he said.
Akmal also directed a remark at Yeo, saying: “Don’t forget, you still have another reason to celebrate this year—your party was completely defeated in Sabah.”
