Umno veteran Shahrir Abdul Samad said it is now up to party vice president Ismail Sabri Yaakob to prove that he can do better than the previous Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional governments.
Ismail is presently the frontrunner to become the next prime minister, replacing Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin who lost his parliamentary majority.
"It is up to Umno MPs under Ismail's leadership to prove that his new government will be more effective than the two previous governments," Shahrir said in a statement on Facebook.
Shahrir (above) also congratulated the party for backing Ismail Sabri en bloc.
Muhyiddin, who is the Bersatu president, lost his majority after 15 Umno MPs withdrew their support, leading to the collapse of the PN-led government.
However, 14 out of the 15 MPs returned to the fold after it was agreed that Ismail Sabri would take over as the prime minister.
The composition of Ismail's support is now identical to Muhyiddin's before his ouster - except for Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
Meanwhile, Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said his party will push for 10 demands for the people regardless of who becomes the next prime minister.
He said this included expediting the Covid-19 cash aid and increasing the budget to assist people facing hardship during the pandemic.
He also wants the i-Citra withdrawals from the Employees Provident Fund savings to be done on a lump sum basis instead of a monthly basis.
He added that the withdrawal from Account 1 should also be allowed.
Asyraf also called for the loan moratorium to be extended to civil servants taking government loans.
"I will advocate for the 10 demands for the people regardless of who the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong will appoint as the prime minister.
"That is Umno Youth's commitment and promise," he said.
Ismail is estimated to have the support of 114 MPs compared to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim with 105 MPs.
A total of 111 MPs are needed for a simple majority. There are 220 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat and two vacant seats. - Mkini
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