KUALA LUMPUR – Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has extended his congratulations to the party’s Bera MP Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on his promotion to the seat of deputy prime minister.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan conveyed the congratulations in a press statement this evening.
The message was conveyed despite Umno announcing its decision to terminate ties with the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN), following its supreme council meeting last night.
“The president of Umno also records his congratulations to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on his appointment as the deputy prime minister of Malaysia,” he said in a statement posted on the official Facebook page of Barisan Nasional’s communications unit, BN Comms.
Ahmad also announced that the Supreme Council has decided that Umno MPs can use their own discretion (“budi-bicara”) while voting during the upcoming session of the Dewan Rakyat.
“However, it should be understood that all decisions of the party must be used as guidance by Umno parliamentarians in executing any responsibilities,” Ahmad said.
The statement did not explicitly allude to any party directive for Umno MPs to abide by should a vote of no-confidence be tabled against Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin during the upcoming special parliamentary session.
Muhyiddin is PN chairman and Bersatu president.
On July 6, the Prime Minister’s Office had announced that the Dewan Rakyat will hold a special five-day meeting starting July 26, while the Dewan Negara will sit early next month.
It said the government has agreed to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on a Dewan Rakyat sitting from July 26 to 29, and on August 2.
The Dewan Negara, meanwhile, will sit for three days from August 3 to 5.
Parliament has been suspended since the emergency was declared on January 12. – The Vibes, July 8, 2021
