Opinion | Malaysia’s new PM needs to shore up support if he wants to stay in power
- Ismail Sabri Yaakob was catapulted into Malaysia’s highest office under the most unusual of circumstances, writes Ooi Kok Hin
- As a non-party leader his position is ‘weak’, relatives to his predecessors, and the coalition he heads is fragile – circumstances he must now overcome
Three years after losing power in the 2018 general election, the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) has regained the premiership with a net gain of two ministers in Ismail Sabri’s bloated cabinet of 70, which includes among its minister and deputy ministers almost one-third of all Malaysia’s MPs.
Such a “payroll vote”, as political scientist Wong Chin Huat described the result, is necessary to sustain the prime minister’s slim parliamentary majority.
Umno has wrested the rural development ministry and the housing and local government ministry – both rich in resources and patronage – back from Bersatu, and also now completely controls the communications ministry, whose messaging channels and personnel hiring will be useful in the general election which has to be held within two years.
In Ismail Sabri though, the party has only a third-tier member of its leadership as prime minister. The 61-year-old, who is the most senior of three party vice-presidents having received the most votes among them in a 2018 election, was only appointed to the premiership through sheer force of circumstance.
Before July 7 he served as defence minister in former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s cabinet, but on that day was appointed deputy prime minister in a reshuffle as the most senior Umno leader eligible to take the role – party resident Ahmad Zahid Hamidi currently faces 47 charges related to misuse of funds and another 33 corruption charges, while deputy president Mohamad Hasan is not eligible because he is not a member of parliament.