UMNO vice president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is the ‘poster boy’ of Barisan Nasional (BN), must take responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the 15th General Election (GE15).
UMNO veteran Tan Sri Shahrir Samad said Ismail Sabri was the Prime Minister who dissolved the Dewan Rakyat after tabling the 2023 Budget (which was not debated).
Shahrir, who is also the Johor UMNO division chief, said during GE15, Ismail Sabri was also the caretaker Prime Minister.
“When you win, you’re the Prime Minister. When you lose, it is someone else’s fault.
“And he was BN’s poster boy, that is, if BN wins, he will become Prime Minister.
“But BN lost and Ismail put the responsibility squarely on Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He (Ismail) should shoulder some of the responsibility too,” Shahrir said in a posting on his Facebook account yesterday.
He was commenting on Ismail Sabri’s video statement, asking Ahmad Zahid to listen to the views and insistence of the grassroots, including the UMNO division heads, who want the Umno president to step down for the sake of the party’s future.
Shahrir also asked why Zahid should be so ‘generous’ to accept responsibility for the party’s defeat.
“Zahid is the (party president). Ismail Sabri was the Prime Minister.
As Prime Minister and poster boy, he may not have impacted the GE15 until BN lost but he still has “a stake” in the BN performance as well,” he said. – NST