KUALA LUMPUR – While the prime minister’s job looks all but certain to go to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, it appears to be a free-for-all in the race to become his deputy.
Rumours have it that the post will be given to Bersatu, the party with the second-largest parliamentary representation in the bloc after Umno and headed by caretaker prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Already, a number of party leaders are said to be fighting over the post and have offered themselves as candidates, provided that Ismail Sabri is appointed prime minister.
Multiple sources confirmed that Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and supreme council members Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof are vying for the position.
Redzuan, however, told The Vibes that the party has yet to put forward a name.
With the battle for the No. 2 position intensifying, Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu appears to have emerged as an unlikely candidate.
Two party insiders confirmed that a number of Bersatu members are pushing for Faizal’s candidacy.
They believe that the deputy prime minister’s post should be given to him by virtue of his seniority in the party.
“The decision on who Bersatu puts forward for the position has yet to be finalised, but the top three now are Hamzah, Azmin and Redzuan. As things stand, they all appear to have an equal chance at getting it,” said a source.
“But perhaps, our deputy president should also be given consideration.”
However, it is understood that the Tambun MP has not personally expressed his intention to take on the job.
An unpopular figure among the public, Faizal was Perak menteri besar from May 2018 to December last year, overseeing two state governments under Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional before his ouster from the post.
He was widely criticised over the role he and Bersatu played in the collapse of the state PH government, switching allegiances and forming a new alliance with Umno.
On August 5, he was appointed special adviser to the prime minister with a ministerial rank, a decision that was also condemned, as the country struggles in its Covid-19 fight.
The Vibes has reached out to Faizal for comment.
The squabble within Bersatu over the deputy prime minister’s post, even before a new prime minister is appointed, is expected to irk the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who recently demanded that whoever leads the country ensures political stability.
The wrangling for power within the party is anything but.
The king is scheduled to hold a Conference of Rulers meeting at 2.30pm today, before he finalises the appointment of the country’s ninth prime minister.
An announcement is expected either later today or by the weekend. – The Vibes, August 20, 2021
