Minister Zafrul s jump from Umno to PKR tests ties in Malaysia s unity government

JOHOR BAHRU -- Malaysian minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz’s recent exit from Umno to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has sparked calls for him to resign and raised tensions between the two key parties within the ruling alliance.

Datuk Seri Zafrul occupies the post of Minister for Investment, Trade and Industry by virtue of being appointed a senator, which term will expire in December 2025.

This coveted spot in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet was one of seven ministerial positions held by Umno after the last Cabinet reshuffle on December 12, 2023. This compares against the eight ministerial posts occupied by the prime minister’s party PKR, which are part of the 14 posts in total held by Pakatan Harapan, the coalition PKR leads.

As a result, the minister’s announcement on May 30 that he was leaving Umno has not only stirred concern over shifting allegiances among the disparate allies, but also over Umno’s continued influence in Datuk Seri Anwar’s so-called unity government.

These concerns were voiced by Deputy Prime Minister and Umno president Zahid Hamidi a day later.

“To me, what’s more important is that Umno remains represented by seven full ministers in the Cabinet,” he told reporters, as quoted by national news agency Bernama. He also said it was “unethical” for parties within the unity government to accept a member from another ally.

Umno youth chief Akmal Saleh has called for Mr Zafrul to resign from Cabinet. Meanwhile the party’s supreme council member Puad Zarkashi warned that accepting Mr Zafrul into PKR without proper consultation could erode trust between the parties and damage grassroots support for the unity government.
“If this is allowed to continue, more betrayals will happen,” Datuk Puad said, cautioning that Umno supporters may lose confidence in PM Anwar.

Professor Wong Chin Huat, a political scientist at