I will resign as MARA chairman if deputy prime minister asks, says Asyraf Wajdi

Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki says he will leave the chairmanship of Malaysia’s Majlis Amanah Rakyat, or MARA, if Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi tells him to go. But he insists he will not resign because of pressure from Parti Keadilan’s youth wing.

Speaking at a special press conference during the 2026 UMNO General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Asyraf said Zahid appointed him as MARA chairman in his capacity as rural and regional development minister. That made Zahid, he argued, the person responsible for deciding whether he should remain in the post.

“ I was appointed by the deputy prime minister, who is also the minister of KKDW, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. I only follow instructions. If the minister of KKDW asks me to resign, I will resign,” he said. The ministry, known as KKDW, oversees MARA.

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I was appointed by the deputy prime minister, who is also the minister of KKDW, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. I only follow instructions. If the minister of KKDW asks me to resign, I will resign.

Asyraf, who is also UMNO secretary-general, framed the issue as one involving MARA rather than his personal position. He said the institution was created to serve Malays and Bumiputera communities and was established by UMNO in 1966. He added that attempts to damage its reputation would threaten an institution entrusted to advance those communities.

He dismissed the relevance of the Tabung Haji royal commission report, saying it did not name him and that he had never been linked to the Tabung Haji issue. He described the connection as an effort by opponents to damage his reputation and MARA’s image. Asyraf also said that during his almost three years at MARA, he had laid foundations for education and entrepreneurship programs and updated the institution’s governance.

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But not because of pressure from AMK, Parti Keadilan.