In a Facebook post, Akmal said he had tried his very best and “conveyed our message to the best of our ability”.

“Perhaps the shortcomings lie within myself. Perhaps the time has come for me to step down.

“I believe that if our intentions are sincere – for our religion, our people and our homeland – God willing, the time will come,” he said.

At a special convention on Saturday, Akmal had called for the party to withdraw its support for the unity government and join the opposition, citing repeated violations of “red lines” in 3R matters pertaining to race, religion and royalty.

He said the Malays were angered by the “Allah” socks and upside-down flag incidents, but that those penalised were the ones “defending” Islam and the Jalur Gemilang. He said the Malays were also upset when alcohol was served at a government event.

Zahid said that in Monday’s political bureau meeting, Akmal had presented the resolution reached at the convention, which was openly discussed by Umno’s leadership.

He said the party would not abandon its coalition partners in the Madani government and dismissed “past proposals that never materialised”, referring to cooperation with PAS under Muafakat Nasional.

On Monday, FMT quoted an Umno leader who did not wish to be named as saying that the party had set two conditions when Akmal was given the green light by Zahid to organise the convention on Saturday.

One condition was to refrain from discussing a withdrawal from the unity government. The other was that there would be no criticism of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The source said that matters Akmal had raised at the convention, such as Umno leaving the government, realigning with PAS or shifting its political allegiance, were never discussed with Zahid.

Analysts have said that Akmal should accept the unlikelihood of Barisan Nasional or Umno leaving the unity government, and that staying is essential to restoring the party’s strength and ensuring political stability.