KUALA LUMPUR – No one during last night’s Umno Supreme Council meeting put any conditions on anyone present for the general election to be held immediately, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He maintained that the call from the Supreme Council for an election soon was made via consensus by the top party leaders.
While he echoed yesterday’s statement by Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan that the election should be held soon, preferably this year, Ismail Sabri reiterated that the public will have to “wait” for the exact date of the polls.
“In Umno (headquarters), we have the top 5 (leaders) and the political bureau, so last night no one put any conditions (for the polls to be held).
“If we have a good basis to expedite the polls and the decision is reached via a consensus, we will do it. But you just have to wait for an announcement on the date.”
Meanwhile, when asked if the government will provide more information on the investigation into former attorney-general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas’ memoir, the prime minister answered, “InsyaAllah, we will reveal.”
He told the press after attending the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) special assembly at the Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre here today.
After a long day of successive meetings, the Supreme Council released a statement late last night, saying that Ismail Sabri would present a suitable date to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament and pave the way for a general election to be held this year.
Reading out a statement to the press, Ahmad had said this was in line with the party’s decision to return the mandate back to the people.
He also said that Umno welcomes the decision by Ismail Sabri in urging the relevant agencies to investigate whether Thomas had committed any wrongdoing in light of claims made in his memoir.
Yesterday, Ismail Sabri ordered the authorities to investigate Thomas for sedition and breaching the Official Secrets Act, among others, over several allegations he made in his autobiography, My Story: Justice in the Wilderness.
The special task force investigating Thomas’ book, which was established last October, took nine months to complete its probe and submit its report to the government.
Last month, Wan Junaidi revealed that the special task force identified 19 key issues and that the report would be presented to the cabinet in the near future for further instructions on follow-up action.
In a statement yesterday, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had expressed hope that the cabinet would not attempt to conceal findings from the probe.
He said his concern stemmed from the fact that the current coalition government also comprised former cabinet members from the Pakatan Harapan administration who had worked with Thomas during the opposition coalition’s 22 months in federal power. – The Vibes, October 1, 2022
