KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to ignore Bersatu’s claims to the post of deputy prime minister.

In a report by New Straits Times (NST), Asyraf said that even PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang had acknowledged that no promise was made to Bersatu that one of its ministers would be appointed to the role.

He added that the Umno leadership and supreme council had not been informed of any such agreement either.

"As the Umno senior vice-president, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob knows best and understands that any agreement with anyone must be referred to the party.

"In any case, the 15th general election is almost upon us. If we are sincere in wanting to stabilise and resolve the economic issues plaguing the people, return the mandate to the people.

"Let the people decide on which government they truly want, not a mixed or hybrid administration that we have today, which is plagued by threats over positions and are not based on the people’s mandate,” he said.

Bersatu chairman Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin had claimed that the appointment of a deputy prime minister from Bersatu was part of the agreement between Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Ismail Sabri.

However, Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan disputed this, but was later rebutted by Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

Wan Saiful also claimed that Umno’s Tan Sri Annuar Musa was one of the witnesses.

After Wan Saiful’s statement, PN coalition member party PAS issued another denial, with party president Abdul Hadi saying there was no such agreement.