JOHOR BARU: Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob should not entertain the supposed agreement with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) regarding the deputy prime minister’s post, says Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zakarshi.
The Johor state Speaker said Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan had revealed a written agreement between Perikatan Nasional and the Prime Minister about the post.
"Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin still has a huge desire in demanding the post for his party.
“From early on, the priority of Bersatu has been positions. It has threatened Ismail Sabri because (it is) chasing positions,” he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (July 6).
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Mohd Puad, who is Rengit assemblyman, added that this only showed Umno was much better and more gentlemanly than Bersatu.
He said when Umno supported Muhyiddin to become prime minister, there was no written agreement nor were conditions even set for the deputy prime minister’s post.
Mohd Puad said Umno supported Muhyiddin for the sake of the people, even though he (Muhyiddin) had worked with DAP among others to defeat Barisan Nasional in the 14th General Election.
“But Bersatu supported Ismail Sabri to become prime minister for the deputy prime minister's post, not for the people.
“So it is appropriate if the Prime Minister does not entertain the agreement. There is no benefit to the people,” he added.
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A portal reported that Wan Saiful said the post going to Bersatu was part of an agreement made between Perikatan Nasional, of which Bersatu is the main component, and Ismail Sabri before he was appointed prime minister.
"This is not a new thing. This is an agreement signed before Ismail Sabri took over as prime minister.
“So there is an agreement and it contains terms agreed by both parties that represent their respective identities. This is not a new request but an agreement that has not been fulfilled," Wan Saiful had said.
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He added that Bersatu would assess whether or not Ismail Sabri would fulfil the terms of the agreement.
"We as human beings are judged on the extent to which we fulfil promises, especially written ones. Ismail Sabri of course wants to be known as a prime minister who fulfils his promises and does not just make them,” he said.
On Saturday, Bernama reported that Muhyiddin, who is also Perikatan chairman, said he had met with Ismail Sabri to discuss several important matters, including the deputy prime minister’s post.
Muhyiddin said the meeting was held a few days ago to consider the previous agreement between the coalition and the prime minister.
"I met with the Prime Minister a few days ago, where I raised a number of important issues including appointments in the government not only to fill vacancies, but also with regard to new appointments.
"We are not asking for more (than what has been agreed), only about the appointment of a deputy prime minister and ministers, as well as those involving government-linked agencies and statutory bodies as well as the government’s allocations," he said during a Perikatan event in Kelantan.
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