KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has asked the 114 Members of Parliament who have signed statutory declarations in support of Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the Prime Minister to be present at Istana Negara today to verify their stand. The lawmakers will meet the King in groups at the palace here from 10am until 5pm. Royal sources said the MPs would be from Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) from Sabah, and Independents who have backed the Umno vice-president. All the MPs submitted their statutory declarations (SDs) by the 4pm deadline yesterday to Istana Negara.
The 114 votes for Ismail Sabri means that PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has failed to obtain enough support to be premier. It also means that Perikatan and Barisan have managed to obtain enough of a majority to form the next federal government and pave the way for Ismail Sabri to be the new prime minister. On Tuesday, all 220 MPs were told to submit their SDs directly to the King, on their choice of prime minister following the resignation of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday. There are 220 MPs in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat following the demise of Batu Sapi MP Datuk Liew Vui Keong and Gerik MP Datuk Hasbullah Osman. “His Majesty wants to be absolutely sure that these 114 MPs decided to support Ismail Sabri on their own accord and that these statements are genuine,” sources said.
The information would be conveyed to the Rulers who will be holding a special meeting with the King at the Istana Negara tomorrow. The King has also decreed that the new PM must seek a vote of confidence as soon as possible to determine his legitimacy and majority support in the Dewan Rakyat. The Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, in a statement yesterday, said His Majesty had decreed this following an audience with leaders and representatives of major political parties on Tuesday. In Kuching, a Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) MP indicated the state coalition will support Ismail Sabri as the prime minister candidate. Santubong MP Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the Umno vice-president was a veteran politician “with tremendous inside experience in dealing with Covid-19 for the past 17 months”.
However, GPS chairman and Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg declined to confirm that the Bera MP was the coalition’s choice, pending an announcement from Istana Negara. “I cannot reveal (the name), I cannot precede the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” he told reporters after meeting GPS MPs at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly complex here ahead of the 4pm deadline to submit their SDs to the palace. Abang Johari also said GPS was not asked to back PKR president Anwar for the prime minister’s post. “No, he did not,” he said when asked if Anwar or Pakatan Harapan had reached out to GPS for support in the current search for a new premier. GPS, which has 18 MPs and comprises Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, Sarawak United People’s Party, Parti Rakyat Sarawak and Progressive Democratic Party, had supported Muhyiddin’s Perikatan federal administration.
In Petaling Jaya, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia said it has also decided to support Ismail Sabri. Bersatu supreme council member Datuk Seri Redzuan Yusof said the new prime minister, when appointed by the King, must have a strong Cabinet to back him up. “He cannot be seen as weak and he must be wise to appoint a strong deputy,” said Redzuan. Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu meanwhile said health and the economy must be on top of the new premier’s list. “The party leadership has made a decision and we have agreed unanimously to support this candidate whom we believe can bring together not only the parties in Perikatan, but also be a unifier for everyone to work together,” he said. In Kuala Lumpur, all 18 PAS lawmakers will support Ismail Sabri as the next prime minister, says party deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. “All 18 PAS MPs will fully support Ismail Sabri and we have signed the SDs,” he told reporters after a three-hour meeting at Menara Datuk Onn.
Asked if there were any conditions set by PAS to support Ismail Sabri, Tuan Ibrahim said they have mutually discussed and decided on the candidate. “So, there is no issue,” he added.
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