Be mindful of allies’ feelings, Umno man tells Ismail

 

Umno Supreme Council member Tajuddin Abdul Rahman said Ismail Sabri Yaakob should be open to the aspirations of the parties that are backing him.

PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional’s prime ministerial candidate Ismail Sabri Yaakob must be mindful of the feelings of his allies to ensure a stable government, an Umno leader said.

Tajuddin Abdul Rahman said the party’s vice-president should have open discussions with the components that would be part of the ruling coalition he is expected to lead, Astro Awani reported.

Ismail should also be open to the aspirations of the parties that are backing him for the top post, Tajuddin said.

“There could be requests by the likes of Bersatu, PAS and others. Ismail should discuss these with his allies.

“We need to be mindful of their feelings and aspirations and only then can we form a stable government,” the portal reported him as saying.

Tajuddin, who is in the Umno Supreme Council, said they did not want a repeat of how the previous government collapsed when it was pressured by various parties.

“Because in the end, the people would lose out.”

His comments come amid talk that the deputy prime minister is likely to be from Bersatu should Ismail become the next premier.

It is understood that the frontrunners are Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin and Supreme Council member Azmin Ali, both seen as former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s closest allies.

Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin, who resigned as prime minister on Monday, confirmed that the coalition agreed to nominate Ismail as the prime minister candidate for the “new Perikatan Nasional government”.

Ismail, the former deputy prime minister, looks set for the top job after he reportedly garnered the support of 114 MPs. - FMT