KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional (BN) did not demand for Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to be made prime minister in its meeting with Perikatan Nasional (PN) today.
Sources said BN, however, had asked for one of their own to be made deputy prime minister (DPM) if both coalitions succeeded in forming the federal government post-15th General Election (GE15).
"They did not request for Ismail Sabri to be made PM. They asked for the DPM post, but no names were mentioned.
"The PM post definitely belongs to PN. BN only won 30 seats in GE15 and asking for a DPM post when they had lost many constituencies is already too much.
"(If they accept) BN will have to take Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (PN chairman) as the 10th PM," the source told the New Straits Times tonight.
BN, during the GE15, had campaigned Ismail Sabri as its poster boy and PM candidate if it won but it only garnered 30 seats.
The sources added that PN will consider BN's expectations of them if they were to give its support to form the new government, but no promises were made.
It also said the meeting, which was called by BN and attended by both coalitions' top leaders, went well and the prospects were good.
"They do not trust Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Pakatan Harapan chairman and PKR president).
"They do not think Anwar will be able to deliver what had been promised to them.
"They have known Anwar since his Umno days and this was why BN sought a meeting with PN, where PN had also asked for BN's support," said the source.
The two-hour meeting at St Regis hotel in KL Sentral was believed to have been called to know what PN could offer to the 30 BN members of parliament if they were to give their support to Muhyiddin.
Aside from Ismail Sabri, other BN leaders present were Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan and PBRS deputy president Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup.
Apart from Muhyiddin, PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, Pas president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau also attended the meeting.
Others from PN were Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, Bersatu vice-presidents Datuk Radzi Jidin and Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee.
The Umno supreme council is holding a meeting at its headquarters tonight and it would, among others, possibly decide to either support PH or PN to form the government.
The GE15 on Nov 19 saw no party manage to secure a simple majority of 112 seats in the 222-seat parliament to form a new government.
PH won the most with 82 seats, PN with 73, BN with 30, Gabungan Parti Sarawak with 22, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah with six and Warisan with three.
Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) and Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) got one seat each, while the independents, two. - NST
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