Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob appeared to have put his foot down on Bersatu's demand for the deputy prime minister (DPM) position, especially since other ruling parties, namely PAS, has not complained about not even having a senior minister.
He said there was no need to appoint a deputy and upset the political balance within the federal government.
Ismail Sabri pointed out that Bersatu already filled two senior minister positions in the cabinet, while Umno and GPS have one each, and PAS has none.
"So far, not having a DPM does not trouble me because I already have four senior ministers whose level is similar to a DPM, and they represent the parties that make up the ruling coalition except for PAS.
"As it stands, PAS has more rights to demand (for a senior ministerial post). It can ask why Umno and GPS got one, while Bersatu has two.
"But PAS has never made noise about this. I believe everybody has accepted (this arrangement). Some received more, others less," he said during a group media interview on Wednesday, in conjunction with the first anniversary of his Aspirasi Keluarga Malaysia concept.
The prime minister was responding to whether he planned to appoint a DPM soon as Bersatu was reportedly pushing to fill the position with a candidate from the party as per a purported agreement.
Earlier this month, a source told Malaysiakini that Bersatu had nominated International Trade and Industry Minister Azmin Ali for the position.
According to a news report, the Bersatu-led Perikatan Nasional coalition was also deliberating on whether to withdraw its support for Ismail Sabri if the premier did not keep to the alleged promise.
The premier, however, said that he wanted to biar dahulu (hold off) the issue of appointing a DPM.
He said no one wants issues that could be resolved to turn into situations that could spoil the relationship between the parties.
"It is only outsiders that are playing up the DPM issue. Within the government, there is no such problem," he added. - Mkini
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