KUALA LUMPUR – As Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth members rallied yesterday for the impending 15th general election, grassroots BN members have urged the coalition to give Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob more time to helm the country.
Amid calls by certain parties for Umno’s leadership to decide on its candidate for prime minister, Leow Chuan Yin, 39, said Ismail Sabri should be given more time to serve in order to prove his true leadership ability.
“He has been doing a great job since holding the position for the past year but he needs more time to prove his capabilities.
“I hope that our current PM will remain in his post so that we can see better results from his governance.
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The administrative clerk added that it is not fair for the public to judge Ismail Sabri’s capabilities as a leader so far, which she described as “still raw” compared to other prime ministers who have ruled for longer.
He has only held the position for a short term, there are policies that need to be changed, plans to be executed. So, he actually needs more time.
“Perhaps we can see the positive effect of it. Surely we will enjoy the benefits. We hope BN can win in the election and Ismail Sabri remains in his post,” the Subang BN member told The Vibes.
Meanwhile, Alvin Soh, 24, added that administering the country for just over one year is not enough for the prime minister to fulfil his aspirations regarding the Keluarga Malaysia concept.
“Ismail Sabri has offered a good concept of unity through the empowerment of Keluarga Malaysia. However, there are still many plans that have yet to be implemented.
“If he continues his term as prime minister, of course, more will be achieved by the government led by him,” the Johor BN Youth member said.
For Sg Besar BN Youth representative, Muhammad Akhrizan, 39, the current Ismail Sabri-led government has shown excellent performance.
“He (Ismail Sabri) is also a poster boy for BN, our local leaders do give him full support,” he said.
However, he also noted there are some weaknesses in the current leadership that need to be taken seriously.
“We do not deny that there are weaknesses in the current government. The government and the party should work together to ensure the grassroots’ support remains.
The image of the party (BN) has also been tarnished with our leaders being put in jail. But we still support the current leadership,” Akhrizan said.
Meanwhile, Putera Umno secretary Muhammad Irfaan Fikri, 24, opined that the decision on the coalition’s prime minister candidate should be made by Umno’s top leadership.
“As members of the party, we always uphold whoever is appointed as the prime minister, no matter whether the decision comes from Umno or BN.
“We have to stick to the decision so that there will be no fighting for positions.
“This is the real democratic process in the party. When someone is appointed, we will definitely agree and be unanimous with that decision,” Irfaan said.
He also noted that BN should not remain in its “comfort zone” as he claimed that for the coalition to reclaim Putrajaya, it will need to woo young voters – which will be a challenge.
We have seen good results in the Johor and Melaka elections but to convince young people to vote for BN is very tough and challenging for the party.
“The dynamic is different after the last general election, so BN has to work harder. We can see today the attendance was quite impressive, which could give BN hope (of winning).
Meanwhile, MIC Youth chief K. Raven Kumar, 40, pledged to give full support and uphold any decision made by the party.
“For me, I believe in the BN leadership, we will support whoever is named as prime minister as long as there is a consensus among the component parties in BN.”
Raven also shared his concerns on the looming national polls, warning that BN should not be “cocky” and overconfident following the previous state election results.
“Instead, they must work harder to gain back support from the people. BN lost in the previous election because of the people’s disappointment.” – The Vibes, September 18, 2022
