He said he had likewise given no thought to whether he would accept or reject any resignation letter sent in by Akmal.

Speaking to reporters after the National Disaster Management Agency’s New Year’s assembly here today, Zahid said Umno Youth, including Akmal, should celebrate differences in opinion and be open to criticism.

“Both Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and I have been Umno Youth chiefs before. The youth wing must be idealistic, but also accept differences in views.

“Why do we call our critics undemocratic and unable to accept reality? That should not be the case. We accept that in politics, not everyone will agree with us. Disagreements should be handled with explanations and nothing else,” he said.

Urging all Umno Youth leaders to be resilient, Zahid said he had “collided with mountains and stepped on banana peels” himself during his time as Umno Youth chief.

“This message is not just for Akmal. Continue fighting for your ideals even if your recommendations are not accepted.

“I have fallen before. But falling does not mean we cannot rise again,” he said.

Akmal had posted a message on social media yesterday, saying “perhaps it is time for me to step aside” after Zahid rejected his call for Umno to quit the government.

The Umno Youth chief had at a special convention on Saturday cited repeated violations of “red lines” in 3R matters pertaining to race, religion and royalty.

However, Zahid said Umno would not abandon its coalition partners in the Madani government, after Akmal presented the resolution reached at the convention in a political bureau meeting on Monday.

He also dismissed “past proposals that never materialised”, referring to cooperation with PAS under Muafakat Nasional.