By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-09-12 07:36:38 | Updated at 2026-09-12 08:12:33
47 minutes ago
KUALA LUMPUR – Umno will not establish a backdoor government, but will continue to uphold the principle of safeguarding political stability, says party secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
He said Umno remained committed to the unity government and would not seek to change the government before the next general election.
Asyraf was responding to speculation of growing tensions between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan following a social media exchange between Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, which included references to a “guru”.
“It is not fractured and on the verge of breaking apart because we are still adhering to the agreement on the formation of the unity government,” he said in a press conference in conjunction with the 2026 Umno General Assembly on Sept 12.
“This is the agreement on the formation of the Malaysian unity government, so as long as we have not reached the next general election, we will adhere to the principle that we will not ‘tebuk atap’ or change the government simply by changing the prime minister.
“We are also mindful of political stability, which we have been maintaining. As such, I do not think there will be any major problems.”
Ahmad Zahid, in his presidential speech on Sept 11, took a jab at his “guru”, urging him not to ignore the grievances and concerns of the people.
Although he did not name the leader, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, was believed to be referring to Anwar.
The reference to “guru” was linked to a leaked telephone conversation between Ahmad Zahid and Anwar in April 2021, during which Ahmad Zahid referred to Anwar as “cikgu”, or teacher.
In response, Anwar said “guru” had safely arrived in New Delhi, India, to represent Malaysia on the world stage at the 18th BRICS Summit.
Meanwhile, when asked whether the recent use of the word “guru” indicated that Umno and Barisan were preparing for psychological warfare or were ready not to work with Pakatan in the next general election, Asyraf said it was too early to draw such conclusions.
“It is still too premature to say, as negotiations have not even begun. As the president said, we should wait until the dissolution before negotiations begin.
“That is what happened in Johor and Negri Sembilan. Once the dissolution is announced, negotiations will begin,” he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
