PETALING JAYA: Umno’s move to name Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as prime minister-designate ahead of the 15th general election (GE15) may just have strengthened his hand.
According to political analysts, prior to the Umno supreme council announcement, Ismail Sabri was not planning to hold elections before the end of the Parliament term.
They were also of the view that he would be more inclined to extend the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Opposition so as not to face the problem of calling for early polls.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Prof Azmi Hassan said it is very likely that the MoU would not be extended as Ismail Sabri would follow Umno’s instructions.
He said with the party naming him as the PM-designate, he no longer needs to lean on the support of the Opposition.
“After July 31, there is no need for the MoU. The MoU was designed to keep all parties on the same page as the government fought the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic is not a major threat now, and Ismail Sabri may feel he has a freer hand to act,” Azmi told theSun.
He said another issue is that the federal government is not functioning effectively, adding that there are those in the government who are directly or indirectly going against the prime minister’s wishes.
“The government seems to be finding it hard to make policies that benefit the people, and this may be due to internal squabbling. The prime minister needs a fresh mandate and Umno is confident of winning more seats.
“However, it cannot form the new government alone and will need the help of other parties.
“Umno remains confident that it would be the dominant party after GE15, unlike now, where it only has 40 members of Parliament.”
Azmi said Umno’s belief that it will win more seats would give it greater leeway in any discussion to form a government.
National Council of Professors senior fellow Dr Jeniri Amir said Ismail Sabri may be of the view that by being named PM-designate, he will be able to control the narrative.
“He may have also changed his mind, as he previously wanted to delay the polls but now he has no reason to wait.”
Jeniri said naming Ismail Sabri as its choice of prime minister implies that Umno is keen to have early elections.
“The party has been able to form two state governments, Malacca and Johor, without the help of other parties.
“Umno now wants to strike while the iron is hot. Any delay could allow Pakatan Harapan (PH) to regroup and gain ground,” he said.
He added that PH wants to extend the MoU to buy time to gain voters’ confidence.
Jeniri said after the defeats in the two state elections, voter sentiment at the moment does not favour PH, and that if the MoU is extended, no one knows what may happen as voter sentiment could change.
“Since Perikatan Nasional came to power, all the three main parties in the government have been at loggerheads.
“Umno feels it currently has the advantage and is very confident its performance would be better than in 2018.”
He said Umno may not win enough seats to form the government on its own and will have to rely on Sarawak and Sabah-based parties.
With Umno naming Ismail Sabri as the PM-designate ahead of GE15, he no longer needs to lean on the support of the Opposition, according to analysts.
