Will ex-PM Najib loom large as Malaysia’s UMNO holds annual general meeting?

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malay nationalist party United Malays National Organisation's (UMNO) general assembly, to be held from Jan 14 to 17, is set to be one of its most consequential gatherings in recent times, say analysts.

Set to draw over 6,000 delegates from around the country, the meeting comes at a critical juncture for the party, which turns 80 this year. 

UMNO — the lynchpin of Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition — is a key partner in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government, an alliance formed to resolve the hung parliament following the November 2022 general election.

The annual gathering, originally scheduled for August last year, was initially moved to November before being postponed a second time as the party focused on the Nov 29 Sabah state election.

The assembly takes place amid rising friction with other political parties, especially the Democratic Action Party (DAP), following two unfavourable court rulings for former prime minister and UMNO president Najib Razak last December.  

The meeting will be a litmus test of the party's cohesion, said political analyst Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

With the 16th General Election (GE16) due by February 2028, and state polls in Melaka, Johor, and Sarawak looming even sooner, the party’s annual meeting is expected to chart its trajectory.   

“This (annual general meeting, or AGM) isn’t just routine housekeeping, it’s one of the last major organised party events before GE16. It will offer insights into how the party reconciles grassroots sentiment with national strategy,” Sivamurugan told CNA. 

“This can be considered one of the more important AGMs in UMNO’s history; it comes at a defining crossroads for the party as it celebrates its 80th anniversary,” he added. 

The opening ceremony for UMNO’s three wings — Wanita (for women), Youth, and Puteri (for young women) — is scheduled for Wednesday (Jan 14) evening, marking the start of the party’s four-day convention.

The main UMNO general assembly will start on Jan 16 with the president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s policy speech, and conclude the day after.

Here are four things to watch at the assembly, which will be held at the World Trade Centre (WTC) in Kuala Lumpur.

1. A push for Najib’s pardon

This is the "hottest" motion submitted by a majority of party divisions across the country, according to UMNO secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki. 

According to Asyraf, 104 of the 662 motions submitted by the divisions have demanded a royal pardon for the former prime minister, who is in prison for charges related to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

"Najib's royal pardon dominates at 104 proposals, and these are supported by legal arguments, judging from the jargon used in the proposals," Asyraf was quoted as saying by news outlet The Star.

Najib, 72, is currently locked up in Kajang Prison in Selangor. He is serving a six-year sentence for criminal breach of trust and other charges related to the transfer of RM42 million from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB, into his personal bank accounts in 2014 and 2015. 

This sentence is set to be followed by a 15-year term following his December 2025 conviction in another 1MDB corruption trial, which he is appealing.

Najib was prime minister from 2009 to 2018, the year BN was toppled from power after 61 years by Pakatan Harapan (PH), a coalition led at the time by Mahathir Mohamad.  

The 1MDB High Court verdict on Dec 26 last year came on the heels of another court decision on Dec 22 where he lost his bid to serve the remainder of his current jail term under house arrest. 

Political analyst Azmi Hassan of the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research said Najib was still highly regarded by the Malay population, especially those in the rural areas.  

“Najib is synonymous with UMNO being a strong political party during his era. His contribution to the party and the nation cannot just be forgotten by some segments of the party,” Azmi said. 

“It will be very important for UMNO to restrategise and convince their supporters that the party is working on the issue.”

Supreme council member Ahmad Maslan reportedly said in December that the UMNO general assembly is the party’s highest decision-making platform and any resolution passed would represent the official stance of the party.

“When the general assembly passes a resolution, it becomes the official voice of the party and should rightly be conveyed by the president himself," he was quoted as saying by Malay language news outlet Sinar Daily.

CNA has asked the party how resolutions are adopted and passed.

2. The "withdrawal" debate: Grassroots vs leadership

The High Court's Dec 22 dismissal of Najib’s house arrest bid became a major flashpoint within the unity government. 

Tensions flared after DAP publicity secretary Yeo Bee Yin described the ruling as “another reason to celebrate” on Facebook. 

Her post drew swift condemnation from UMNO’s top brass, with secretary-general Asyraf calling it “rude and inhumane”, while UMNO Youth Chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh went as far as to urge UMNO to withdraw its support for the Anwar-led government in protest.

While Zahid has said UMNO will remain in Anwar’s unity government until GE16, the AGM is strategically important as it will decide UMNO’s position going into the polls, said political scientist Syaza Shukri of the International Islamic University Malaysia.

“I’m sure there will be a lot of talk about working with PH and this is the opportunity for a temperature check. Because UMNO is still grappling with being a ‘junior’ party that still sees itself as the ‘senior’ party in terms of experience and institutionalisation,” she said.

There will be discussions on reviving Muafakat Nasional (MN), Syaza said. MN was an alliance forged between UMNO and Islamist party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) in 2019 against the then-PH government led by Mahathir. MN collapsed when PAS and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, a splinter party of UMNO, formed the opposition pact Perikatan Nasional.

Calls to revive MN have intensified following deepening fractures between PAS and Bersatu.

UMNO, no longer in a position of dominance, will have to negotiate its relevance, identity and survival within a more competitive and fragmented political landscape, said Sivamurugan.

“This AGM is crucial as it will signal whether the party can balance grassroots sentiment (sticking with the unity government) especially as it approaches GE16,” he said. 

While Asyraf has said no resolutions have been submitted to discuss the withdrawal of UMNO from the unity government, the issue could be raised by speakers in relation to other matters. 

He said UMNO will not attempt to silence such voices if the topic is brought up. 

“Issues may be raised or debated, but at the UMNO headquarters secretariat level, we do not block anything,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.

3. March 2026 party polls: To postpone or not?

UMNO’s internal party polls for its leadership are due in March this year, although they can be postponed for 18 months or until six months after a general election, whichever is later. The party held its last polls in March 2023. 

Syaza believes the party polls will be postponed until after GE16.   

“I think at the leadership level, we might see more language on stability and unity as a way to signal that perhaps the election will be postponed until the conclusion of GE16," she said.

“I think what we need to look out for is if there’s open calls by divisions either for or against party elections. But my suspicion is they would take signals from the top."

Azmi had a different view. 

“I don't think it will be deferred since GE is still a long time away and (it) would be an opportunity to get rid of a few uncooperative leaders. There would be no contests for the top two positions but it will be (a) free-for-all for other positions,” he said. 

The assembly would be a platform to reaffirm Ahmad Zahid’s position as UMNO president and Muhammad Hasan as its deputy going into GE16, he reckoned.

In the UMNO party elections, members vote for leadership positions at both the national and divisional levels. The party has 191 divisions.

National-level contests include the posts of president, deputy president and three vice-presidents, as well as 25 elected seats on the UMNO Supreme Council. 

Leadership elections for Wanita, Youth, and Puteri will be held concurrently. 

4. Will Akmal resign? 

This year’s UMNO youth wing assembly will be closely watched, given Akmal’s calls to partner with PAS. The UMNO Youth chief had claimed UMNO's current role in the unity government has forced it to compromise on "red lines" involving race, religion and royalty.  

Following Zahid’s response that UMNO would remain in the Anwar government until the end of its term to ensure political stability, Akmal, who also serves as a Melaka State Executive Councillor (EXCO), countered that he would not compromise on his principles and hinted at a possible resignation. 

On Monday (Jan 12), he fuelled further speculation by posting a photo on social media of a meeting with Melaka Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh, thanking him for his guidance. 

Akmal later sought to clarify that while he had “conveyed his heartfelt thoughts” to the state leadership, he would wait for Zahid and Ab Rauf’s advice before making an official announcement about his political future during the AGM.

Syaza doubted Akmal would resign, given his loyalty to the party.  

“I don’t see the benefit of him resigning. We know he’s frustrated but if he leaves UMNO, what are his chances? Join PN? If he joins PN, I doubt he will be in a leadership position, just because he would be competing (with) PAS’ pool of younger leaders,” she said.

Neither is Akmal at a point of no return in UMNO, Syaza said. 

“He has not crossed the red line of openly calling out Zahid, so there’s still room for him to change course if he wants. I just don’t see the incentive for him to leave.”

Sivamurugan concurred, saying Akmal’s resignation is “possible in the future, but far from a done deal right now”.