ALL eyes are watchful of possible treachery-cum-conspiracy to topple the unity government of Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim – a priceless lesson learnt from the fall of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration after 22 months in power in February 2020.
No wonder ex-premier Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob who was outplayed to initiate the dissolution of Parliament on Oct 10 last year but not rewarded with at least a Cabinet position has no peace of mind vacationing with his family as he was linked to be masterminding a political comeback more than 10,000km away in London “in the dead of winter”.
This assumption which the Bera MP has denied with photographic evidence that his family and him were actually vacationing in a sunnier location in Abu Dhabi and Dubai during that period must have sprouted after speculation abounded that he was conspiring the “Tropicana Move” in the aftermath of the 15th General Election (GE15) on Nov 19.
Recall that on Nov 25, images of Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS leaders purportedly having a meeting at Tropicana Golf Resort in Petaling Jaya leaked online, prompting netizens to be wary of a likely Sheraton Move 2.0 brewing, only for Ismail Sabri who was captured on camera clarifying that he was only there to attend a farewell gathering with his PM office staffers.
Coincidentally, MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong who was also at the venue for a dim sum “brunch appointment with two businessmen” back then, was also dragged into the ‘fracas’ as that would have made the sly plotting of “Tropicana Move” more realistic.
Fast forward to recent times, Ismail Sabri yet again defended himself by claiming that he was a victim of slander (telling Malaysiakini) and those linking him to the purported conspiracy have “no regard for sin”.
“What London move? This is called ‘family move’ Dubai. Dubai is in UAE (United Arab Emirates), not London,” he presented the truth in his latest Facebook post. “If we were in London, we would have been freezing cold because London is in the middle of winter (see main pic).”
The ninth PM who holds the shortest tenure in office – 14 months to be precise or three months lesser than his predecessor Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin – further told Malaysiakini that he had been keeping a low profile since GE15.
“I have been quiet until now. I have not made a single statement about UMNO or the government,” he justified. “The reason (for the silence) is to avoid speculations and slander. But I am still implicated.” – Jan 5, 2023
