Pakatan MPs slam Perikatan leadership’s apparent ‘disappointment’ with PM Ismail Sabri

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — Several Pakatan Harapan MPs have slammed the Perikatan Nasional (PN) leadership for their dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s apparent failure to deliver on his promises to the coalition.

Datuk Mahfuz Omar (PH-Pokok Sena) in Parliament today expressed his disappointment at the PN coalition leaders’ misguided demands and tantrums, while the rest of the MPs are in Parliament debating the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 2022 on Provisions Preventing Members of Parliament from Switching Parties.

“We all know that the issues brought up (by PN) are about the position of deputy prime minister. We are in a long crisis now because of fighting for positions in the government.

“This is something very disappointing, and must be seen by the whole rakyat. They sit in the same government, but there is still ill-feelings towards the prime minister. This shows that this government is akin to a sinking ship that doesn’t know which harbour it’s going to dock in,” he said.

He added that the statement was shameful, and proved that the Sheraton Move — which was the precipice of the formation of the PN coalition — was made not for the rakyat, but for personal gain.

“This is so shameful, up to the point we want to vote for the Anti-Hopping Bill, there are still parties asking for this and that.

“This shows that the Sheraton Move was done for personal gain, and not for the people,” he said.

Khalid Samad (PH-Shah Alam) then said that Bersatu’s betrayal during the Sheraton Move was a bigger disappointment because they had betrayed the promises made that won PH the people’s mandate.

He said that going into the 14th General Election, everyone knew that DAP was part of the PH coalition, and that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was to take over from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad later on.

“The excuse used by Bersatu when they left PH, no DAP, no Anwar...when PH faced the general elections, everyone knew this was agreed in PH, and this had gotten the people’s mandate.

“This is a stronger base for promises to be delivered, but because there was DAP in PH, and Anwar as the next prime minister after Tun (Dr Mahathir Mohamad), this was used by Bersatu to leave PH, eventhough this was the people’s mandate.

“So Bersatu’s ask for the DPM position — that doesn’t have the mandate from anyone, and yet they still ask for it. Perhaps they are not aware they broke the promises that got the people’s mandate,” he said.

Mahfuz also called out PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, whose signature was also present on the statement by PN.

“I was also shocked when I saw the PAS president also supported the coalition’s disappointment with the prime minister, when before this, they denied there was any agreement with the prime minister on the deputy prime minister position.

“But today, they say that they are disappointed over his failure to fulfil promises he made to the coalition,” he said.

Earlier, the PN coalition leadership released a statement citing disappointment over what it claimed to be a lack of determination and commitment on the part of the prime minister to fulfil what had been agreed.

Its secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said that it will send a delegation to meet the prime minister to discuss the implementation of the terms of an agreement signed between the two.