AN Umno minister has admitted that a non-Malay from DAP could become prime minister because there was no constitutional provision to bar such a scenario.
Rural and Regional Development Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said a spilt among Malay voters could enable DAP to win more parliamentary seats, paving the way for the Chinese-majority party to appoint its own prime ministerial candidate.
He said this was possible because there was no guarantee in the Federal Constitution that the prime minister must be a Malay and Muslim.
Ismail Sabri said any party that controlled the majority of seats in Parliament could form a government, and it could pick a prime minister from among its members.
“In the end, we Malays will be split into three if this happens, if they (the opposition) form the government , DAP will have the most seats, and constitutionally, they are entitled to decide who will be prime minister,” he said at the Ampang Umno division delegates meeting last night.
“If Lim Guan Eng wants to become prime minster, then he will be (if the opposition wins). If they don’t dare to put Guan Eng (as prime minister), they can put up a Malay, but it will be a Malay like the Selangor menteri besar, who cannot make decisions because everything is controlled by Teresa Kok, Hannah Yeoh and whomever.”
Ismail Sabri was commenting on Pakatan Harapan’s recently announced leadership line-up, which features Dr Mahathir Mohamad as chairman, Anwar Ibrahim as de facto leader, and Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as president.
DAP secretary general Guan Eng, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu have been named vice presidents of the opposition coalition.
Ismail Sabri joined the chorus of Umno leaders claiming that the absence of DAP leaders in the top-most tier of PH’s hierarchy was just a show.
Earlier in his speech, he said the standard of living enjoyed by Malays today was the result of the government’s struggle to protect Malay rights.
Ismail Sabri, an Umno Supreme Council member, said the cabinet was able to enforce the Bahasa Malaysia requirement for the hiring of government doctors because most of its members were Malay.
Ismail Sabri said the government would not recognise the United Examination Certificate as long as it did not make Bahasa Malaysia a compulsory subject.
He said Malays should not be complacent as the next general election would determine the survival of the race. – July 16, 2017.