Tajuddin: Ismail Sabri as Umno’s ‘poster boy’ in GE15 not a guarantee he’ll be PM if BN wins

KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman has today poured cold water over Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s chances to continue as prime minister if Barisan Nasional (BN) wins the upcoming general election (GE15).

Contradicting Umno’s stand, the former party election director cited the case of Machap state assemblyman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi who was elected as Johor mentri besar ahead of Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad, despite not holding the seniority in the state chapter.

“Poster boy means he will become the prime minister after the election but there is no guarantee.

“But Datuk Hasni was the poster boy during the Johor state election. But what happened?” the Pasir Salak MP told reporters during the Umno breaking fast event at the World Trade Centre here.

When asked whether the party has a backup plan, he said that anyone can become prime minister if the coalition prevails in the upcoming election.

“But we pray for the best, if that was the decision and the intention is good, it will pave the way for Ismail Sabri to continue becoming the prime minister.

“But this is politics you know, but I’m afraid that the day after the election, there will be another person that wants to be the prime minister. All of sudden he’s the one who goes on a tour [for campaigning]. This can happen,” he added.

Earlier today, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said in a statement that the Umno Supreme Council unanimously decided for Ismail Sabri to be the party’s poster boy in the next election.

This came despite Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi saying in the party’s General Assembly last month that it will not name its pick for prime minister following the recent Johor mentri besar fiasco, saying the final decision rests with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

When asked to reveal who would be Umno’s choice for prime minister, Ahmad Zahid said that any of the party’s top five leaders could be a candidate: he himself, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.

During campaigning, Hasni was presented by the party as its choice for mentri besar, but in a twist of events, Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar chose Onn Hafiz to lead the state instead.

This move initially drew ire from some factions within Umno, who felt Hasni should have been made mentri besar in return for his efforts in winning the state for the party.