{ { Infobox political party
| country = Malaysia
| name = Spirit of 46 Malay Party
| native_name = Parti Melayu Semangat 46
| logo = Logo Parti Melayu Semangat 46.svg
| logo_size = 150px
| abbreviation = S46
| president = Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
| leader1_title = Deputy President
| leader1_name = Rais Yatim
| secretary_general = Suhaimi Kamaruddin
| leader2_title = Youth Chief
| leader2_name = Ibrahim Ali (1989-1991) | leader3_title = Wanita Chief | leader3_name = Rahmah Osman | foundation = 3 June 1989 | dissolution = 8 October 1996<ref>{ { Cite web |url=http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2004&dt=0222&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Rencana&pg=re_03.htm&arc=hive |title=Sokongan orang Melayu terhadap UMNO semakin terserlah - Keadilan sudah tidak relevan lagi |access-date=15 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714230324/http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2004&dt=0222&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Rencana&pg=re_03.htm&arc=hive |archive-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | slogan = | split = United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) | successor = United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) | headquarters = Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | newspaper = | youth_wing = Pergerakan Pemuda S46 | membership_year = 1996 | membership = 200,000 | ideology = Malay nationalismIslamismConservatism | position = Right-wing | national = Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah (1990–1996)Gagasan Rakyat (1990–1996) | international = | colours = Yellow and green | colorcode = yellow | website = | footnotes = | flag = }}
The Parti Melayu Semangat 46 or Spirit of 46 Malay Party (S46) was a Malaysian political party. The party was formed in 1988, and dissolved in 1996. It was formed by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's "Team B" faction of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), as a challenge to prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and UMNO. Razaleigh had the personal support of former UMNO prime ministers Tunku Abdul Rahman and Hussein Onn, both of whom had also fallen out with Mahathir.
Establishment
The idea of Semangat 46 first came about in 1985 or 1986 when Malaysia was experiencing an economic recession. In 1987, Razaleigh's "Team B" faction challenged Mahathir's "Team A" faction for control of UMNO. Mahathir won the party election with a slim 41 votes majority in the controversial 1987 UMNO leadership election, and removed all Team B members from the cabinet. Team B leaders claimed many party delegates were improperly elected, and filed suit to overturn the election. This led to UMNO being declared illegal on technical grounds in 1988. Mahathir immediately reconstituted UMNO, with only Team A members.
Razaleigh and Team B formed their own party. They tried to register as "UMNO 46" (alluding to the party's founding in 1946. This was an attempt to invoke the nostalgic spirit of the old UMNO. "UMNO 46" was rejected as a duplicate name, so Razaleigh chose the name "Semangat 46". On 3 June 1989, Semangat 46 was officially registered with the electoral college. The first party's general meeting was held on 12 October 1989, officiated by Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj. Among notable leaders that joined Semangat 46 were Marina Yusoff, Ilyani Ishak, Rais Yatim, Harun Idris, Suhaimi Kamaruddin, Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Othman Saat, Salleh Abas, Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar, and Ibrahim Ali.
General election
In 1990, Semangat 46 formed two coalitions with other opposition parties to contest the 1990 Malaysian general election. The Gagasan Rakyat (GR) coalition was with the multi-racial Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM). The Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah'' (APU) coalition was with the Muslim parties Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), Pan-Malaysian Islamic Front (BERJASA), Parti Hizbul Muslimin Malaysia (HAMIM) and the newly formed Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (KIMMA).
Despite these alliances, Semangat 46 did poorly in the 1990 federal election, winning only 8 of 180 seats. However, the Angkatan alliance swept the state election in Razaleigh's home state, Kelantan, winning all 39 seats. Semangat 46 won 15, PAS won 24. For the first time in UMNO history, the party failed to win any seats in a state level.
