Zahid takes swipe at Pakatan petrol promise, blasts Budi95 policy flip‑flop, says Umno primed for GE16

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi criticized Pakatan Harapan's promise to reduce petrol prices within 24 hours if they won the general election. Speaking at the 2026 Umno General Assembly, Zahid stressed that Umno is a forward-thinking party with a long-term vision for Malaysia, rather than a party that merely hopes to survive each election cycle.

Referring to Umno's decline after the 2018 general election, Zahid said, "We are starting again after a fall." Zahid also criticized the PH-led unity government's inconsistent approach to fuel subsidies, noting their withdrawal and reinstatement of the 300-litre quota under the Budi95 program. He said, "First, they reduce the quota, then they reinstate it.

Next, I think they will pull it back and restore it nearer to the next general election." Zahid, without elaborating further, appeared to be indirectly referencing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with his comment, "God willing, we will be able to perform better than Guru has done."