We respect Zahid, can’t you do the same for Anwar, PKR Youth tells Akmal

PKR Youth chief Adam Adli (left) has told his Umno counterpart, Dr Akmal Saleh, that ‘creating a schism won’t help us achieve what is best for all’.

PETALING JAYA: PKR Youth chief Adam Adli has hit out at his Umno counterpart, Dr Akmal Saleh, over his comments on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s response to the house arrest bid by former prime minister Najib Razak.

Akmal had criticised Anwar for stating that deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had backed Najib’s attempt to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest in his capacity as Umno president.

In a post on Instagram, he said it was not a question of Zahid’s capacity, but whether the government was going to abide by the king’s command.

The people, he wrote, wanted an explanation and “not an excuse”.

Adam said Akmal’s comments were a slight to Anwar, who is the PKR president.

“Just as we (PKR Youth) agree to respect your president by carefully choosing our words when giving our views, even for the most fundamental issues, would it cost you to do the same for our president, who is also the prime minister?” he wrote on X.

He said that as a youth leader in a party that was part of the government, Akmal had access to Umno leaders and that of its allies.

And, therefore, any issue that Akmal wanted to raise would not only go unheard but would be responded to.

“Maybe you really want to defend Najib and we won’t stop you, but believe me, creating such schism won’t help us achieve what is best for all,” he said.

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

On Feb 2, the FTPB 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 and is to be released on Aug 23, 2028.

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.