Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob remains a "party man" who will likely consult Umno before making any significant decisions related to the memorandum of understanding with Pakatan Harapan, said Selangor BN chief Isham Jalil.
"I know Ismail Sabri (above). I think he will consult with us (Umno) first.
"I believe he will do that because he is a party man," said Isham.
He said this during a joint press conference with PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil in Kuala Lumpur today to announce details of the upcoming debate between Najib and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.
Responding to a question on the next step after Umno's supreme council had decided to not extend the MOU beyond July 31, Isham noted there were Harapan leaders who said the party should not have interfered in matters related to the MOU.
"There was a statement by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, he said 'Umno should not interfere'.
"I would like to say, we (Umno) did not take the MOU into account," said Isham.
At the same time, he stressed that Umno is free to make any suggestions to the prime minister, including on the dissolution of Parliament.
"Because the MOU is between the government and Harapan, not Umno and Harapan," Isham said.
Following the decision, other Umno leaders including Sabah BN chief Bung Moktar Radin had sounded the call for GE15 to be called as early as August this year.
Two separate elements
Meanwhile, Fahmi said there are two separate elements of the MOU that at times had been conflated - on deadline to implement the MOU terms and to dissolve Parliament.
"In the MOU it’s clearly stated it will be in effect until Parliament is dissolved [...]
"Secondly, it is also stated that the government agrees to not dissolve Parliament before July 31," said the Lembah Pantai MP.
Fahmi said any other related matters including on dissolution of Parliament before July 31 must be discussed and agreed to by the government and Harapan through a steering committee, of which he is also a member.
Ismail Sabri, who is also Umno vice-president, reportedly said he has accepted the supreme council's decision to not extend the government MOU with Harapan beyond July 31.
He said any changes made before July 31 will also be brought to the Umno supreme council for discussion. - Mkini
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