Leadership should be focused on extending the ladder of opportunity to everyone.
– Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Will Datuk Seri Ismail Yaakob become Malaysia’s shortest-serving prime minister after Nov 19?
He will be if he isn’t re-elected the Member of Parliament for Bera on Saturday and subsequently sworn in as prime minister to continue where he had left off when he dissolved parliament on Oct 10.
He will be if BN loses in the election and if the coalition is unable to find enough allies to bolster its position as the leading party in a new government.
He will be if he is played out by his own party colleagues and if his UMNO boss, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, insists on wanting the top job himself. This is after Ismail Sabri has been promised that he would be the BN candidate for PM going into the 15th general election (GE15).
On record, Ismail Sabri became prime minister in August last year. This means he has been in office for only 14 months, three months less than his predecessor, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Perikatan Nasional prime minister.
Muhyiddin became prime minister in March 2020 after the treacherous Sheraton Move and was forced to resign in August last year, after having been in office for 17 months.
Ismail Sabri took over as the compromised candidate but his continuation in the PM’s Office will depend largely on the Nov 19 election results.
If his wish is not fulfilled this Saturday, it means that Ismail Sabri, Malaysia’s ninth prime minister, will take over from Muhyiddin as the shortest serving Malaysian PM.
That is a record which any leader would want to avoid being linked to, and I’m sure Ismail Sabri is no exception. However, if it’s any consolation, 14 months is, at least, longer than ex-UK Prime Minister Liz Truss’ 45 days in office.
It is no longer a secret that Ismail Sabri was “forced” to call for GE15 before the year is out by his party bosses, notable the Umno president.
It is also believed that Zahid Hamidi’s slew of corruption charges hanging over his head was a key factor which prompted the early polls although he has denied such an allegation on many occasions.
Besides the possibility of being outplayed by his UMNO superiors, Ismail Sabri also has to face opposition to his prime ministerial ambition from UMNO’s allies in Bersatu.
Muhyiddin, who is Bersatu president, is also keen to make a comeback as prime minister and he has made that ambition known.
He has also announced that GE15 will be his swan song and the man would surely want to go out with a bang if possible. So, watch out, Ismail Sabri! You should know what to do.
Then there is also the known overly ambitious Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, the turncoat from PKR who is now in Bersatu for Ismail Sabri to contend with. Azmin also wants to be prime minister, according to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when sizing up the ex-PKR deputy president some time ago.
In the opposition camp, Pakatan Harapan leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim remains the biggest obstacle to Ismail Sabri’s comeback.
Opinion polls and analysts are pointing to Anwar as the most popular prime ministerial candidate among five names including Ismail Sabri. But polls mean nothing. The votes count; the number of seats matters.
Then, there is also the grand old man, Mahathir, who believes only he could save the nation and that it is possible for him to be prime minister of Malaysia for an unprecedented third time. Well, it’s okay to dream dreams because dreams are free.
Happily for Ismail Sabri, he has received a boost from Sarawak during his trip to the Borneo territory on Monday.
Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chairman Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has voiced the coalition’s support for Ismail Sabri to continue heading the government after the general election.
The Sarawak premier said at the opening of the Selangau section of the Pan Borneo Highway project that GPS’ priority in GE15 was for stability in the country under a strong federal government to spur further economic growth.
“Sarawak is currently exploring a new economy with its wealth of resources. We must have cooperation from the federal government. But we must also deliver as many seats as possible to help Kuala Lumpur because the GPS government wants a stable federal government.
“And we hope the caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri can lead a stable government after this election,” he said at the event which was officiated by Ismail Sabri.
There is no doubt that GPS will again be the kingmaker on Nov 19.
I have written some time ago that it makes sense for Harapan to court GPS if the opposition coalition is seriously interested to be in power after Nov 19.
I believe some Harapan leaders think they do not need Sarawak’s help. If this is true, my gut feeling tells me that even if Harapan gets the most votes on Nov 19, they do not have the majority in the number of seats to be in power.
If that happens, these Harapan leaders only have themselves to blame!
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
