Be bold and don’t kowtow to the “court cluster”, Kadir Jasin tells PM

FORMER Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) supreme council member A Kadir Jasin urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob not bow to the “court cluster’s” pressure and embark on the reforms promised to Pakatan Harapan.

“I think the rumours that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will be given a Government post is only a propaganda by the latter’s supporters to test Ismail Sabri’s stand.

“Now the question arises whether is he going to stand with the one who gave him the opportunity to lead, which is former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, or would he succumb to the pressure from the ‘court cluster’ and kleptocrats surrounding him?” he asked in a Facebook post.

After Ismail Sabri ascended the premiership, he courted brickbats from the public for retaining almost all of the same faces from the previous Cabinet team.

He also courted ire after appointing Muhyiddin to become chairman of the National Recovery Council (NRC). In recent days, rumours have been spreading that Najib may get appointed as Special Economic Adviser to the premier, with a ministerial rank.

On that note, Kadir acknowledged the fact that Ismail Sabri may not be able to ignore the “court cluster” entirely as he ascended to power through the latter’s support.

“This is his dilemma. He owes the ‘court cluster’ a debt of gratitude and if he makes a wrong move, he can be misused as a pawn in the game of thrones,” the veteran newsman opined.

Reforms are key to Ismail Sabri’s survival

However, Kadir opined that being a political outsider, Ismail Sabri has several advantages, which can be used to make himself an effective prime minister.

“He can use the reforms promised as an advantage to boost his popularity. Ismail Sabri must embark on implementing the seven reforms promised when the Dewan Rakyat sits on Sept 13 onwards.

The seven reforms mentioned are as follows:

  • Enact anti-party hopping law
  • Implement Undi1 (which had been passed in the Parliament and gazetted)
  • Limit the prime minister’s tenure to two-terms
  • Parliamentary Select Committees to be joined by equal number of MPs from both blocs
  • All proposed Bills in the Parliament to be discussed and supported via bipartisanship
  • Opposition members to be admitted into the NRC
  • Parliamentary Opposition Leader to be given a ministerial rank

Kadir said that on a personal level, he would like to give Ismail Sabri an opportunity to calm the political climate in the country and not allow the kleptocrats to regain power.

“But if the Bera MP succumbs to the pressure from the ‘court cluster’ and kleptocrats, he will end up being the latter’s ‘errand boy’ and will get challenged sooner or later,” he remarked. – Sept 11, 2021

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