DAP cannot have it both ways with Umno

Murray Hunter


DAP cannot have it both ways with Umno

P Ramasamy
Aug 17, 2025





I challenge the DAP to cut ties with Umno, not just with its youth wing. However abhorrent the views of Umno Youth leader Dr. Akmal Salleh may be—ironically, a Russian-trained medical doctor—the DAP leadership seems content to make noise without any real effect.

Allowing its youth wing to call only for the severing of ties with Umno Youth, while maintaining ties with the parent body, is nothing short of hypocritical. The DAP knows very well that it cannot isolate the youth wing without implicating Umno as a whole.

Akmal’s ruckus over the national flag issue was nothing more than an attempt to boost his personal popularity. Yet, instead of taking decisive action, Umno national leaders appear to be basking in the attention he has generated. His ability to stir tensions is a direct result of Umno’s inaction.

And what of the DAP? Lacking the political courage to confront Umno as a whole, it targets only the youth wing. This selectivity betrays weakness. Some within DAP argue that cutting ties with Umno could destabilize the PH-led coalition government. But the party cannot have its cake and eat it too.

Despite the damage inflicted by Akmal’s antics, DAP is unwilling to end its partnership with Umno. The lure of power, positions, and perks has tied DAP’s hands. In pretending to be powerless, DAP reveals its priorities—and they are not rooted in principle.