Umno wouldn’t have regained power in Melaka if not for me, Jailani reminds Akmal

The Rembia assemblyman says he helped pave the way for Umno to return to power in Melaka in 2020.

(FMT) – Rembia assemblyman Jailani Khamis has told Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh not to forget the crucial role he played in bringing the party back to power in Melaka.

Speaking to FMT, Jailani, who has joined PAS, said Umno would not have returned to govern the state if it wasn’t for him – and three other assemblymen – withdrawing their support for Melaka’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in 2020.

Yesterday, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said Jailani joined PAS on June 10, 2023, a month before Melaka’s anti-hopping law took effect.

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh then questioned PAS’s stand on party hopping after the party criticised Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul’s decision not to vacate the seats of six MPs who had ceased to be Bersatu members.

“Akmal can say whatever he wants,” said Jailani.

“If it wasn’t for someone like me Umno would not have returned to govern Melaka in 2020… people like him (Akmal) wouldn’t be an assemblyman today.

“If he wants to say Umno has been affected because I’ve joined PAS… That’s up to him.”

Merlimau assemblyman Akmal won his seat in the 2021 Melaka state elections.

In March 2020, Jailani, who was with PKR, was among four PH assemblymen in Melaka who helped topple the Adly Zahari-led state government, with Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) going on to form the state administration.

After quitting PKR and remaining as an independent assemblyman, he was made an executive councillor in the Sulaiman Ali-led Melaka government before officially joining Umno in January 2021.

He then defended his Rembia seat on a BN ticket in the November 2021 state elections, winning with a 860-vote majority against four other contenders. He was appointed to a second term as executive councillor as Sulaiman was made chief minister again.

However, after Sulaiman resigned as chief minister in March 2023 and Melaka Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh took over the post, Jailani was dropped from the state executive council in a reshuffle.

He then declared that he did not support Rauf as chief minister and was spotted attending PN’s unveiling of its candidate for the Pulai and Simpang Jeram by-elections.

Jailani was issued a show-cause letter for this and was eventually suspended as an Umno member.