UMNO chief Zahid calls for 'immediate' GE16, takes apparent swipes at PM Anwar

Speaking to thousands of party faithful at UMNO’s 2026 general assembly on Friday (Sep 11), party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also hinted at new political understandings with other parties.

New: You can now listen to articles.

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

11 Sep 2026 05:04PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s next general election (GE16) could be “decisive” for the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) to reclaim the mandate to lead the country, said party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as he called for the polls to be held immediately. 

Speaking to thousands of party faithful at UMNO’s 2026 general assembly on Friday (Sep 11), Ahmad Zahid also took apparent swipes at Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and hinted at new political understandings with other partners. 

UMNO and Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan are partners who have pledged to remain with the unity government until the end of the current parliamentary term. GE16 is due by February 2028. 

But ties have been fraying, with both sides contesting against each other in recent state elections and UMNO emerging victorious on the back of its collaboration with the national opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN) to unite the Malay vote.

“The Blue Wave is not merely meant to make UMNO a supporting component of the Government. GE16 is the decisive moment for us to reclaim the mandate to lead,” Zahid declared, referring to the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional’s (BN) party colour. 

“Therefore, the time has come for GE16 to be held immediately. Agree? Since we’ve already gone this far, we might as well go all the way. Since we're already fighting ... Let's fight!” he said.

Anwar said earlier this month he was open to considering an early GE amid appeals from the opposition and Zahid.

Zahid said the Johor polls in July – where BN won 48 of 56 seats – renewed the party’s confidence, while the Negeri Sembilan polls on Aug 1 – where BN-PN won 25 of 36 seats – showed that mutual understanding could become a strength. 

Melaka – where a state election is expected to be called soon – would be the next arena for the support to be translated into reality, he said. BN won 21 of 28 seats in the last Melaka state election in 2021.

“Politics today is far more complex. Malay politics is no longer centered around a single platform,” said Zahid, who is deputy prime minister.

“Voter loyalty is no longer inherited. What was once white does not necessarily remain white forever. The new generation is likewise untethered to old political nostalgia,” he added, describing UMNO as a party with a long-term vision for Malaysia.

UMNO CAN DO BETTER THAN “GURU”, SAYS ZAHID

UMNO’s four-day meeting began on Wednesday at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, drawing more than 3,000 attendees. 

The party also invited leaders of PN’s dominant party, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), returning the favour when PAS held its gathering earlier this month. UMNO did not invite PH leaders.

Zahid took several swipes that appeared aimed at Anwar. He did not refer to the premier by name, but said UMNO could do much better than the “guru” (teacher). 

Previously, Zahid was often regarded as the “murid” (student) while Anwar was the teacher. 

Zahid took aim at what he called the government’s policy indecision, singling out taxation as a primary pain point. 

He wanted the government to reintroduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system that it scrapped in 2018 - amid an outcry over rising living costs - before replacing it with a narrower sales and services tax (SST). 

Anwar had last month said that the government was considering reforming its consumption tax regime to make it more progressive and efficient, including potentially reintroducing aspects of the GST, calling it a hybrid taxation system. 

“There is no such thing as a hybrid system, no country does a hybrid of GST plus SST, SST, SST ... hey guru, listen to what the people are saying,” said Zahid to cheers from the crowd. 

He also cited the government withdrawing and later reinstating the subsidised fuel quota of 300l under the Budi95 programme. “Who did this? Guru. Enough, guru … We can do better than what the guru has done,” he said.

BN won 26 out of 222 parliamentary seats in Malaysia’s 2022 GE, its worst-ever performance. The 2022 GE resulted in a hung parliament and Anwar formed his unity government with PH partnering BN, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Warisan.

In his speech, Zahid also touched on efforts to forge a “grand collaboration” with other Malay-Islamic political coalitions. He had first suggested this at the party’s last AGM in January.

He said the collaboration was not a merger of parties but was an understanding aimed at avoiding damaging clashes. 

“I can also read the anxiety of the Malays... They no longer want us to clash. They no longer want us to quarrel among ourselves,” he said. “Let us put the old episodes behind us. Let us reweave this unity that is so deeply yearned for by the people.” 

In trying to look for common ground, he did not want to force any party to dilute its identity, he said. Any political understanding required foundational principles that had to be mutually agreed upon. 

“In short, this understanding is not merely because we share a common enemy. God willing, this understanding will foster national political stability, spur the economy for prosperity, guarantee justice for all, and strengthen unity among the people and across regions, “ he said.

Former UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin – one of the party heavyweights purged in 2023 and who returned to the fold in March after Zahid welcomed the return of former members and political rivals – said Zahid’s speech showed clearly BN’s direction ahead of GE16.  

“This is the speech of a prime minister in waiting and a speech of a government in waiting,” Khairy was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.