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KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he is ready to quit mainstream politics after over three and a half decades of active involvement.
The Umno vice-president revealed that he had in fact initially planned his retirement to take place sometime after the 14th general election (GE14), although this did not materialise following his appointment as the head of government in August 2021.
“I planned that if I win in GE14, I would become a minister, following which I would resign from office and appointed as senator. After completing my senatorship, I would immediately quit politics,” he said in an interview with Berita Harian.
“By right, I had planned to take a rest after GE14, but fate would have it that I become prime minister.”
With an ongoing crisis within Umno following the party’s worst electoral performance, Ismail Sabri said the November 19 general election last year would be his last.
The Bera MP’s political career began in the late 1980s when he was actively involved in the Temerloh Umno division, and culminated in his appointment as the country’s ninth prime minister on August 21, 2023, succeeding Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
However, in the recent general election, Umno suffered a poor outing. The party then decided to cooperate with Pakatan Harapan (PH) to form the government, resulting in an internal crisis that has seen several prominent members sacked and suspended.
Ismail Sabri, while escaping disciplinary action, has been one of the Umno leaders who is understood to have been critical of some of the party leadership’s recent decisions, including its pact with PH, the no-contest resolution, and the sacking of party leaders.
He expressed concern that the sackings and suspensions would only lead to a further loss of support for the political outfit.
“The decision to get rid of one team to retain the other will only result in conflict, effectively causing a decline in support. This is why I’m worried about Umno’s future.
“There is a lesser number of new members wanting to join Umno, and existing ones have left. Maybe the situation now is more peaceful because there are no more dissenters, but support for the party is diminishing,” he was quoted as saying.
Recently, several Umno leaders were slapped with disciplinary action for allegedly undermining the party, with Khairy Jamaluddin and Tan Sri Noh Omar among prominent figures to be expelled.
Several high-profile names were also suspended for six years, including Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Shahril Sufian Hamdan.
Meanwhile, on the Umno general assembly’s passing of a motion that bars contests for the top two posts in the party, BH quoted Ismail Sabri as saying that while he respects the decision, the Registrar of Societies (RoS) will ultimately have the final say on the matter.
RoS is currently probing into the issue after two Umno grassroots members lodged a report to the body recently, alleging that the motion was against the party’s procedures and constitution.
Asked if he would vie for one of the top two posts if the RoS rules that they must be contested, Ismail Sabri remained coy on the matter, but said it is preferable to avoid a multi-cornered fight.
“To me, if we are going to fight, it should not be a crowded affair, where one post is being vied for by three or four people. There is no meaning to this, as it will only cause Umno to be divided.”
He also insisted that he never questioned the Umno Supreme Council’s decision to sack several party leaders, but took issue with the manner in which the actions were taken, which he said did not follow due process. – The Vibes, February 5, 2023