JOHOR Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi has disclosed that advice from the Johor royal institution prompted him to personally apologise to UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after he openly called for Zahid to step down following Barisan Nasional’s poor showing in the 15th General Election.
Speaking on the 200th episode of the Keluar Sekejap political podcast, Onn Hafiz said both the Sultan of Johor, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, and the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, had privately advised him that his remarks had gone too far and that reconciliation was the best course forward.
“They told me it was good to apologise and go and meet my president. We have a state to govern,” he said.
The admission sheds new light on the aftermath of Barisan Nasional’s historic collapse in the 15th Malaysian General Election, when the coalition secured only 30 parliamentary seats, and pressure mounted within UMNO for Zahid to emulate former prime minister Najib Razak by relinquishing his leadership role after electoral defeat.
Onn Hafiz said he later met Zahid personally and apologised without placing any conditions on the meeting.
“I apologised if my statement had offended him. Alhamdulillah, I believe he has forgiven me.
“As far as party relations and administrative matters are concerned, the issue is now considered settled,” he said.
The revelation emerged after podcast co-host Shahril Hamdan pointed out that Onn Hafiz had been the first UMNO leader to publicly demand Zahid’s resignation after PRU15, yet escaped disciplinary action, while Shahril himself was suspended over similar remarks.
“You were the first to say it. I was only the second, but I was the one suspended,” Shahril remarked during the programme.
Onn Hafiz did not avoid the comparison, instead attributing his subsequent approach to guidance from the Johor palace.
“At that time, I received advice from the Johor palace. And I also prayed a great deal,” he said, drawing laughter from the hosts. - May 26, 2026
