BERA – Caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he is still Barisan Nasional’s prime minister candidate and there has not been any decision to the contrary.
Speaking to reporters here after casting his nomination papers, the Bera incumbent said he is still the “poster boy” for prime minister and also that there was no pressure on candidates to give their mandate to Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to form the government.
There were reports that candidates were made to sign statutory declarations (SD) in support of Zahid as prime minister.
“We signed SDs not to jump parties,” said Ismail Sabri.
“Up to now, there is no decision in the reverse. The decision was made by the Supreme Council and the Umno general assembly. And 156 of 190 divisions nominated me as the prime minister candidate.
“There is no change.”
However, he said talk of who is prime minister is premature at this stage.
“I have to win the Bera parliamentary seat first, then we can think about prime minister.
“More importantly, the party must win so we can form the government. Last time, I won in Bera but the party lost and I became the opposition leader.
“The one contesting in Bera is not Ismail Sabri but BN.”
However, he is optimistic about BN’s chances.
“I am confident to win and BN is confident to win. I think we can win bigger and we can be the dominant party in Parliament,” he said, adding that the people still support BN.
“I think the mood of the people is for us.”
Referencing Budget 2023, which will be re-tabled should BN win, he said it is the best one that focuses on every segment of society.
“Rural folk, city folk, the agricultural communities, the fishing communities, the businesses... they are all represented in this budget.”
However, he said there is no such thing as an easy win.
“We cannot be complacent. I may be confident, but my machinery also has to be good,” said Ismail Sabri, who is defending his seat for the fifth time.
He is facing challenges from Bera PKR vice-chairman Abas Awang Yaakob and Perikatan Nasional’s Datuk Asmawi Harun.
In the 2018 general election, Ismail Sabri won by a majority of 2,311 votes against PKR’s Zakaria Abdul Hamid and PAS’ Musaniff Ab Rahman. – The Vibes, November 5, 2022
