Umno man questions Akmal’s motive in criticising Anwar

Umno Supreme Council member Lokman Noor Adam said as Youth chief, Dr Akmal Saleh was briefed on the issue and should, therefore, not jeopardise it.

PETALING JAYA: An Umno Supreme Council member last night questioned the motive behind a party leader’s social media post critical of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Yesterday, Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh accused Anwar of making excuses on the issue of former prime minister Najib Razak’s attempt to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest

Najib is seeking to commence judicial review proceedings in a bid to compel the government to produce the “supplementary order”, which was purportedly issued by former Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, during the Federal Territories Pardons Board meeting on Jan 29.

Akmal called for Anwar to explain whether the government was going to abide by the former king’s command, instead of giving excuses.

In response, Lokman Noor Adam said the matter had been explained to all Supreme Council members and division chiefs during a special meeting with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi recently.

“Whose agenda are you trying to push? Does he want to see Bossku go free or see him crawl in prison,” he questioned Akmal in a post on X (formerly Twitter), referring to Najib’s popular moniker.

Lokman said he could understand if someone who did not sit on the Supreme Council had levelled such criticism against the prime minister.

“But he is the Youth chief.”

Lokman’s criticism of Akmal followed that of PKR Youth chief Adam Adli’s rebuke of his Umno counterpart.

Adam said Akmal’s comments were a slight to Anwar, who is the PKR president. He also wondered why Akmal could not accord the same respect to Anwar as the PKR wing had accorded to Zahid, as the Umno president.

On Feb 2, the Pardons Board halved Najib’s prison sentence in his SRC International case from 12 years to six years, and reduced his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.

Najib, 70, is currently serving his sentence at Kajang Prison.

On April 1, he commenced legal proceedings to compel the government to produce the purported “supplementary order”, claiming that the government was acting in contempt for not executing it.