Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar said the Umno Youth chief’s assertive rhetoric appears at odds with the party’s current stance as part of the Pakatan Harapan-led unity government.
“This creates a complex political balancing act because Umno is simultaneously trying to reassure its traditional Malay base while remaining part of a multi-ethnic governing coalition,” he told FMT.
Hisommudin said the gap between Umno’s national-level cooperation and grassroots rhetoric could leave voters uncertain about the party’s true political direction.
He was commenting on former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s remark that Akmal’s reliance on an “old political script” is still seen as necessary to prevent Umno from losing further Malay support to Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Khairy also suggested that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi may tolerate Akmal’s controversial political style due to the “clear and present danger on the (political) right, which is dominated by PN”.
While acknowledging that identity politics still carries weight among Malay voters, Hisommudin said relying too heavily on older political formulas would not be sufficient for Umno’s long-term recovery.
He said younger Malay voters are increasingly driven by issues such as employment opportunities, cost of living, housing affordability and governance integrity, rather than ethnic rhetoric alone.
“PN gained substantial traction among younger voters not merely because of identity politics, but because it successfully packaged its messaging in a more aggressive, emotionally persuasive and digitally effective manner.
“PN will likely continue dominating the younger Malay voter segment if Umno merely reproduces older rhetoric without organisational and narrative renewal,” he said.
However, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia political analyst Mazlan Ali said Umno currently has little choice but to revive elements of its traditional Malay nationalist messaging to remain competitive against PN and PAS.
He said Umno has struggled to reclaim the Malay-Muslim narrative after suffering major losses in the 14th and 15th general elections, with some Malays perceiving the party as having become too liberal and less committed to defending Malay interests.
“I personally agree with Khairy’s view that Umno still needs the old political script because it is no longer able to compete with PN,” he said.
Mazlan said Umno’s cooperation with PH has made the party more vulnerable to attacks from PAS and PN, particularly claims that it is being influenced by DAP.
He said allowing Akmal to adopt a more hardline approach is intended to reassure Malay voters that Umno remains committed to its traditional political principles, describing the party as pragmatic and likely to adjust its approach according to changing political circumstances.