FORMER premier Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob earned rare praise from an X influencer who said he could have been the best political leader to steer the country if he was still in power.
On her X account, user Liyana Marzuki who claimed she is a political activist and a ‘marhaen’ writer, wrote a pleasant note describing the former premier as a peacemaker for his stability MOU (memorandum of understanding) with Pakatan Harapan (PH).
“When he became prime minister (PM), his greatest legacy was to unite the government and the opposition. He came up with the idea of a stability MOU. Through him political reforms were made. So the Anti-Hopping Act was created, I believe it was the result of his insistence.
“13 months of ruling the country as PM, he left many good legacies. The least controversial PM. Sometimes turning his back on his party. Despite being hit right and left, he just chills,” she wrote.
She also recalled how Ismail revived the Competition Act 2010, an act that was apparently helpful in actions taken on chicken cartels that were fined millions of ringgit. She also said this has contributed to today’s stable chicken prices.
“When he became the 9th PM, he knew the Competition Act at the back of his hand. That is why he instructed MyCC to take action on the chicken cartel. Hundreds of millions of them were fined. Now the price of chicken is stable. This PM9 has merit,” she added.
The graceful note from the influencer came after Ismail launched her first book, and she said, “This is a rare gentleman, a rare politician.”
LEGASI
Saya pernah bekerja dengan 4 orang Menteri. Tetapi yang seorang ni sedikit istimewa.
Tahun 2009 saya ingat lagi, beliau panggil saya masuk mesyuarat Pasca Kabinet. Katanya, kita perlu bentangkan Akta Persaingan. Dah 15 tahun tiada siapa yang kisah nak buat. Saya… pic.twitter.com/M1EI3VfYxZ
— Liyana Marzuki (@liyana_marzuki) June 1, 2024
In general, the comments on the post were not kind to Ismail.
Some users saw nothing special about the former PM when he was in power. Others stated he is not good enough to be even a deputy PM.
Sory Puan Liyana.. Bagi saya, takde yg istimewa pon dia ni….
— Miss Meow Meow 🍉🐈 (@Missmeow7777) June 1, 2024
One user pointed out the business of his son-in-law sparked during his reign, which they probably see as not ethical enough.
Teringat ex menantu punya business menjadi2 time dia menjadi PM ..
— Azlan Nizam (@allennriches) June 1, 2024
Moreover, a user corrected the account owner on her praise for the ex-PM on the Stability MOU. They said Ismail was not keen on the MOU after two drafts were given to him, crediting PM Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was then the opposition leader, as the person who persisted in wanting the MOU to go through for the sake of political stability.
Saya betulkan sedikit.
Actly PM9 tak mahu meneruskan MOU tersebut selepas 2kali draf diberi, tapi PMX berusaha untuk jayakan juga agar kerajaan time tu stabil. Ini kerana, PMX sudah dpt melihat ‘kegilaan’ Azmin yg tidak puas hati kpd PM9 kerana tidak melantik beliau jadi TPM.— 🧚 (@princesskatarak) June 1, 2024
There was indeed some praise for Ismail, though the majority of comments were not in his favour.
Thanks! You could see the improvements during PM9 DSIS short tenure than the one under PM8, even when his own party turned their back on him. UMNO has many capable leaders and he is one of the pretty good ones. Reminded of Tun Ismail in his short stint as DPM but left legacy.
— flintflant (@flintflan) June 1, 2024
Furthermore, some users say he helped the MIC while one user pointed out that there was a stark difference and improvement under Ismail compared to the tenure of former PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. – June 2, 2024
