KUALA LUMPUR – Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should not contest in the 15th general election (GE15) so as to prove that caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will indeed remain Barisan Nasional’s (BN) prime minister candidate, said DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang.
“We will see on November 5 (nomination day)...so long as he (Zahid) is a parliamentary candidate, Ismail Sabri cannot be sure that he would be prime minister if the Umno-BN coalition forms the next federal government,” Lim said in a statement.
“The only way Zahid can guarantee that...Ismail Sabri would become the prime minister is for Zahid not to stand as a parliamentary candidate,” he added.
Umno leaders have had to deny several times rumours that Zahid will eventually be named prime minister candidate, even though Ismail Sabri is the party’s “poster boy” for GE15 and designated candidate for the top post.
Umno made its first denial of the speculation late last month after a fake viral message was circulated following Zahid’s acquittal on 40 corruption charges related to the contract of a company operating a foreign visa system.
The prosecution has since filed an appeal.
PH chairman and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim a week ago claimed Zahid could be prime minister if BN wins GE15.
A day later, both Zahid and Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin refuted Anwar’s claim, insisting that the party’s stance of naming Ismail Sabri as prime ministerial candidate still remains.
At recent Umno divisions meetings, 151 out of 192 divisions also reportedly voiced their support for Ismail Sabri, the Bera incumbent, to be prime minister.
Despite this, a number of DAP leaders have refused to buy into the claim, citing the recent Johor election – when Umno’s choice of menteri besar was not sworn into the position – as an illustration of how an individual that has been nominated by the party may not necessarily assume the post.
Earlier today, Sarawak Pakatan Harapan (PH) also urged BN’s East Malaysian ally, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), to openly state whether it supports Zahid or Ismail Sabri for the prime minister’s post.
Zahid, who is facing multiple corruption charges, has been Bagan Datuk MP since 1995 and seems likely to defend the seat.
However, speculation has also emerged that he will not, but this has been denied by his daughter Nurulhidayah as well as the Bagan Datuk Umno division chief.
Lim earlier today backed independent candidate Tawfik Ismail to face Zahid in Bagan Datuk under the Pakatan Harapan banner. – The Vibes, October 24, 2022
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