The conditions set by Bersatu in giving its support for Ismail Sabri Yaakob to be prime minister have caused uneasiness among the Umno leadership, prompting the latter's Supreme Council to call for a special meeting, according to sources.
"Last night, several Umno leaders had a meeting on this issue. And a special Supreme Council meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow.
"The party is uneasy, and look at the conditional support by Muhyiddin seriously," said a party insider to Malaysiakini.
When contacted, a member of the Supreme Council confirmed there was a meeting held last night. However, the leader said tomorrow's meeting was still not confirmed.
"I have heard about the Supreme Council meeting to be held tomorrow. But we have yet to get a notice. Maybe it will be sent out after the announcement by the Council of Malay Rulers later today," said another party leader, who declined to be named.
The leader was referring to the Conference of Rulers scheduled for this afternoon, where the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and state sultans are expected to discuss prime minister candidates to lead the country following Muhyiddin Yassin's (above) resignation on Monday.
"There is a possibility that the meeting would be called after the new prime minister is sworn in," the source added.
Yesterday, Muhyiddin, who is Perikatan Nasional chairperson and Bersatu president, said they are supporting Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri to be the next premier, but with several conditions.
Among the conditions is that Ismail Sabri, upon being appointed as the top executive, is to ensure his cabinet members are those "with integrity, responsible, and free from any criminal charges in court".
Muhyiddin said Ismail Sabri must also respect the separation of powers, independence of the judiciary, and uphold constitutional monarchy.
Meanwhile, party sources said several top Umno leaders yesterday discussed the consequences of accepting Muhyiddin's conditional support.
"Umno is of the view that Muhyiddin's statement was a form of a threat.
"The party is concerned that Ismail Sabri may not be able to stay in power for long if Bersatu continues to issue threats," a source added.
The source was referring to the recent incident where 15 Umno MPs withdrew their support for Muhyiddin, which led to the prime minister's resignation.
"Now they are worried that Bersatu might pull the same stunt. There is no guarantee that a stable government can be formed," said a source.
Malaysiakini has contacted Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan for comments. - Mkini
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