PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will reject Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (PPBM) request for the deputy prime minister role to secure his political future, analysts said amid yet another UMNO vs PPBM power tussle.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Azmi Hassan said the prime minister has no choice but to “flex his muscles” since UMNO will be going up against PPBM in the upcoming general election (GE15).
“To become Barisan Nasional’s prime minister of choice come GE15, he needs to show that he is in power, so Ismail Sabri needs to demonstrate that he is capable of countering PPBM, which he can do now by rejecting the latter’s request.
“So, in all common sense, the prime minister will not entertain this request due to the political ramifications,” Azmi told FocusM.
On Saturday (July 2), PPBM president and Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin set tongues wagging when he said he met with Ismail Sabri to discuss several matters, including having a deputy prime minister.
PPBM information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan later claimed that this was part of a supposed agreement within PN before Ismail Sabri was appointed as prime minister last August. UMNO and PAS, the latter being a PN member, have since denied this.
Observers say PPBM has always been sour at not having a bigger piece of the pie in the Cabinet.
It is also noteworthy that PPBM previously made Ismail Sabri, an UMNO vice-president, deputy prime minister – albeit only as a last-minute move to save Muhyiddin’s job, the then-embattled prime minister.
Azmi said Ismail Sabri should continue doing his best to convince the people that he and his current line-up of Cabinet members are capable of combating the rising inflation, so as to protect his job.
“The general public’s perception is that the Prime Minister’s hands are tied because of the internal bickering within the Federal Government, especially among UMNO, PPBM and PAS leaders within the Cabinet.
“So, he needs to convince the people that he is in charge. That’s the only way he can prolong his tenure as prime minister,” he said, adding that it involves “a lot of convincing”.
PPBM’s folly
Meanwhile, Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun recommended PPBM take a leaf out of UMNO’s book, noting that the latter’s appointment of Ismail Sabri as deputy prime minister last year was problematic.
“That appointment put UMNO’s mainstream faction in a rather awkward and disadvantaged position,” he said.
“A PPBM deputy prime minister would similarly throw PPBM into a power struggle that could further weaken the party.”
Azmi added that the creation of a deputy prime minister’s role will not help to address inflation and deal with the current economic situation, which is affecting everyone.
“Taking into consideration the political and economic timings, it’s a bad decision by PPBM to raise the DPM issue now.
“The perception is that PPBM is only fighting for their political survival and positions in the Federal Government.”
Azmi also noted that while Ismail Sabri is under tremendous pressure to “do the right thing”, especially with the UMNO faction “clamouring” for GE15 to be held as soon as possible growing louder, a change in administration now is not to be expected.
Oh, on the other hand, said Ismail Sabri is likely trying to delay GE15 so he could hold on to his position for as long as he can as the Bera MP may not remain long as prime minister if UMNO wins. – July 9, 2022
