KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been urged to remain steadfast in his duty and not be subservient to Perikatan Nasional (PN) by acceding to its demand for the deputy prime minister’s post.
This was the advice given by Umno veteran Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz to his party colleague amid supposed pressure and threats made by PN to withdraw support for the prime minister.
Speaking to The Vibes, Nazri said Ismail Sabri ought to ignore the supposed intimidation tactic being played by Barisan Nasional’s (BN) rival parties, a move he described as being extremely irresponsible.
No, no, don’t bow down to them. The prime minister has already got so many other considerations to make.
He was commenting on a report claiming PN is considering pulling the plug on the government amid Ismail Sabri’s continued refusal to honour an agreement to appoint a Bersatu deputy prime minister.
A source from PN said the coalition is still open to listening to Ismail Sabri over his reluctance to honour a previous agreement to appoint the government’s number two from Bersatu.
Nazri said if the talks are true and PN eventually withdraws support, the BN-led government might have no other choice but to dissolve Parliament and head to a general election, as Ismail Sabri would effectively lose majority support then.
However, the Padang Rengas MP said this will ultimately depend on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who has discretionary powers in deciding on requests for the dissolution of Parliament.
“If the Agong agrees, then we can have a general election. But if His Majesty says no, then we might see another round of statutory declarations (SDs) being signed and submitted to the palace to identify the next prime minister.”
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His comment is in reference to the events that transpired during the political crisis last year, in which MPs were asked to name their choice of prime minister following the resignation of Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Either way, Nazri said things will not pan out well for PN, if the coalition decides to throw in the towel.
“For one, any such move will certainly provoke the wrath of the palace, as the Agong has previously decreed all parties to work together for the sake of the rakyat.
“And even if the Agong agrees to the dissolution of Parliament, the rakyat will certainly be enraged at being forced to go to an election. That’s my take.”
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, meanwhile, told The Vibes the report highlighting PN’s plans to withdraw support for Ismail Sabri is another indication of why Umno must not delay national polls.
What happened clearly shows the existence of pressure, pestering, and threats among certain parties within the government.
“The country cannot go on like this. That is why Umno-BN wants this to end.” – The Vibes, August 6, 2022
