KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) is inconsistent about withdrawing support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob because its leaders are afraid of losing their government positions, says DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke.
The Seremban MP also pointed out that Bersatu leaders have contradicted each other about retracting support for the government of the day.
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"Whether or not they (will) pull out, nobody knows. One day they say they will, and another day, another Bersatu leader says that’s not the case, they are undecided.
"So, Bersatu is inconsistent. They are afraid of losing positions," Loke told a press conference at DAP headquarters here on Monday (Aug 8).
"If they decide to pull out, it will cause Ismail Sabri to lose his majority. But, as we said, Ismail Sabri still has an MoU with Pakatan Harapan," he said.
"So, Pakatan... will wait and look at the situation," Loke added.
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He said a new political landscape would emerge should Bersatu withdraw its support for the Prime Minister.
"We will keep our cards close to our (chest)," he said, without naming which Bersatu leader denied that support for Ismail Sabri would be withdrawn.
He was believed to be referring to Bersatu supreme council member Faiz Na’aman, who was quoted by a news portal as saying that it was untrue Bersatu will retract its support.
Ismail Sabri had said that the government was prepared for the 15th General Election if any party decides to withdraw its support.
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Tension is rising between the Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional coalitions, following demands on Ismail Sabri to appoint a deputy prime minister from Bersatu, as per an agreement inked last August following the resignation of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as premier.
Muhyiddin was appointed prime minister following the fall of Pakatan after the Sheraton Move in February 2020.
After just 17 months in power, Muhyiddin tendered his resignation in August after a group of Umno MPs led by party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi withdrew support for him.
On July 28, Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin said Perikatan would be sending a delegation to meet Ismail Sabri to discuss the execution of the terms of an agreement it signed with him.
Subsequently, Hamzah said he expected to meet Ismail Sabri on Aug 4.
The meeting was cancelled at the last minute by the Prime Minister’s Office, according to Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan.
