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

On Friday, September 11, at UMNO’s 2026 general assembly, party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called for immediate general elections to be held, indicating that GE16 could be "decisive" for UMNO to reclaim the mandate to lead the country. Speaking to thousands of party loyalists, Zahid also took apparent jabs at Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and hinted at new political understandings with other parties.

UMNO and Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan have pledged to remain in the unity government until the end of the current parliamentary term. The two parties have been contesting against each other in recent state elections, with UMNO emerging victorious after collaborating with the national opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN) to unite the Malay vote.

Zahid declared that "the time has come for GE16 to be held immediately. Agree?" as the party's confidence was renewed by the Johor polls in July and the Negeri Sembilan polls on August 1.

Zahid emphasized that politics has become more complex, and Malay politics is no longer centered around a single platform. He described UMNO as a party with a long-term vision for Malaysia and criticized the government's policy indecision, particularly in taxation. He suggested reintroducing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system that was scrapped in 2018 and replacing it with a narrower sales and services tax (SST).

Zahid also cited the government's withdrawal and subsequent reinstatement of the subsidised fuel quota of 300l under the Budi95 programme, and criticized the government's actions.

In his speech, Zahid touched on efforts to forge a "grand collaboration" with other Malay-Islamic political coalitions, emphasizing that the collaboration was not a merger of parties but an understanding aimed at avoiding damaging clashes. He called for UMNO to put old episodes behind them and reweave unity that is deeply yearned for by the people.