GEORGE TOWN – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob should not have Bersatu members in his cabinet as the party will be an Umno foe come the next general election, said a veteran of the Barisan Nasional lynchpin.
Tan Sri Mohd Yussof Latiff, 91, said there is no point having Bersatu in the cabinet for now as political ties will be broken when the elections come around.
Besides being in BN, Umno also has a political cooperation with PAS under the Muafakat Nasional banner.
Yussof said Umno at its last general assembly formally declared that it will not work with Bersatu in the 15th general election, so it is confusing to the people and party members if Bersatu is part of Ismail Sabri’s cabinet.
“Form a war cabinet with important ministries filled. The government can save money and focus on what counts for the country,” he told The Vibes.
“What the people need now is a stable cabinet, one that can steer the country away from the pandemic, revive the economy, and adopt a political truce.”
He said the cabinet should be Umno- and BN-centric, and if any parties threaten to sabotage the truce, they will be seen as betraying the wishes of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
There is no need for a deputy prime minister since the post is not enshrined in the federal constitution, he added.
To gain the public’s confidence, he urged Ismail Sabri to exclude members of the “court” and “frog” clusters from the cabinet, saying there is much public disdain towards these individuals.
“The cabinet needs to comprise clean and credible leaders to stabilise the country’s chaotic political situation.
“I sincerely advise, as a party veteran, that those who need to be appointed are not among those who were in the court cluster and frog cluster before.
“The court cluster revolves around political leaders who have pending cases in court, whereas the frog cluster is about politicians who hop from one party to another.
“Such leaders should be avoided by Ismail Sabri in his cabinet, to avoid the risk of being forced out like (his predecessor) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.”
Ismail Sabri will unveil his cabinet picks at 11am tomorrow, and the swearing-in ceremony will be held next Monday. – The Vibes, August 26, 2021
