FORMER prime minister (PM) and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s predecessor Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was not in the list of 148 unity government MPs who attended yesterday’s (May 14) Unity Government National Convention because he was in Indonesia.
The absence of the Bera MP – along with Sembrong MP and former Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein – have set tongues wagging because they are both perceived as being sidelined by UMNO in recent times.
In response to a query from Sin Chew Daily, Ismail said he was absent from yesterday’s convention as he was in Jakarta. Recall that he had earlier slammed the unity government as a form of “forced marriage” while expressing personal concerns that cracks had started to appear among the parties and that the unity government would not last long.
In his Facebook page, Ismail posted photos of him meeting charismatic Indonesian ulama Abuya Ahmad Muhtadi Muhammad Dimyathi at the latter’s home in Banten, Indonesia (main pic).
“Abuya Muhtadi, in addition to being known as a scholar of asceticism, is often described as the ‘Nail of Banten’ as well as having earned the nickname ‘teacher of kiyai (Islamic scholars)’,” he penned on his Facebook page. “Meeting Kiyai Muhtadi is truly a great honour for me.”
Meanwhile, Hishammuddin’s assistant also confirmed with Sin Chew Daily that the former UMNO vice-president was overseas and was unable to attend the convention.
A check on his Facebook and Twitter accounts, however, revealed that he has not updated his status since his Wesak Day greeting on May 4.
Hishammuddin has claimed that UMNO’s decision to suspend him for six years in January could be out of fear that the party would not get the exemption from the Home Ministry on the no-contest motion for the top two posts.
He said the motion to not contest the president and deputy president’s posts was also mooted the day after he announced that he wanted to challenge party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the party polls.
However, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail confirmed on March 7 that UMNO had been granted an exemption under the Societies Act 1966 for the resolution barring contests for its top two posts in the upcoming party elections. – May 15, 2023
