KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — Umno divisional meetings which took place last weekend saw almost all of the 191 divisions pass the motion to support Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as prime minister (PM).

The support given by the Umno divisions was their own initiative and not because they were instructed to do so, as stressed by Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid yesterday.

Another vice-president of the party, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the motion was also in line with Umno Supreme Council’s earlier decision to name Ismail Sabri as Umno’s candidate for PM if BN wins the 15th General Election (GE15).

"Just like what our president (Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) said before, it is already decided,” he said when contacted here today.

In fact, Ahmad Zahid was also reported as saying yesterday that Ismail Sabri will remain as BN’s poster boy and PM candidate in the GE15 and that the coalition’s stand on this would not change if BN succeeded in getting to administer from Putrajaya.

On April 14, the Umno Supreme Council unanimously proposed Ismail Sabri as the party’s PM candidate for the GE15.

Meanwhile, sources said that 132 Umno divisions had brought forth and passed the motion at their meetings which were concluded yesterday.

Among the divisions were Umno Machang and Ketereh in Kelantan; Tenggara, Pontian, Parit Sulong and Tebrau in Johor; Alor Gajah (Melaka), Tampin and Jelebu (Negri Sembilan), Padang Terap (Kedah) dan Arau (Perlis), Kuala Terengganu (Terengganu) and Libaran (Sabah).

The motion was also passed by all 13 divisions in Penang as confirmed by the state liaison chairman Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir.

Tampin Umno chief Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa said the support given to Ismail Sabri was mainly due to his capability to stabilise the political uncertainty despite leading a joint government.

Meanwhile, Kuala Terengganu Umno deputy chief Datuk Najmil Faiz Mohamed Aris in his Facebook post said that the division also passed the motion to enable the party’s agenda for the people to be continued.

"Our party president also supports Ismail Sabri as Umno’s PM candidate and this has been agreed upon by the Supreme Council. This decision is made collectively involving the grassroots at the branch and division levels,” he said.

Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, when contacted, said the support for Ismail Sabri was to strengthen the solidarity between the president governing the party and the prime minister leading the government.

He said the matter was decided in the previous Umno MT meeting and it was repeated in Ahmad Zahid’s speech at the Bagan Datuk Umno delegates meeting, yesterday. — Bernama