No need for a DPM now
SHAH ALAM - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is not planning to appoint a deputy as there is no need for one at the moment.
According to a source, the posts of senior ministers sufficed and fulfilled the need of the country's administration.
"The country is facing multiple challenges right now, therefore the Prime Minister wanted to give full attention to the efforts to strenghthen the economy and the country's welfare.
"In principle, there is no need to appoint a Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) at the moment and the role of the senior ministers was enough and most importantly, it was effective," the source told Sinar Harian.
He said this when asked to comment on the rumours that there was an agreement between Ismail Sabri and Perikatan Nasional (PN) to appoint a DPM on Aug 1.
However, the source said such agreement did not exist.
Meanwhile, another source told Sinar Harian that PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was expected to meet Ismail Sabri soon.
On July 9, Muhyiddin's former principal private secretary Datuk Dr Marzuki Mohamad confirmed that there was an agreement between the former and Ismail Sabri regarding the DPM post.
Marzuki claimed that the agreement was witnessed by two key individuals from Umno and Bersatu.
He confirmed that the agreement existed and that he directly involved in the preparation of the agreement.
It was signed by Muhyiddin and Ismail Sabri on Aug 17, 2021 and was witnessed by a minister from Bersatu and a minister from Umno.
Umno information chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan however later denied the existence of such agreement with Ismail Sabri to appoint a DPM before he was appointed as the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, political analysts were of the view that there was no need for a DPM since there were already four senior ministers who played significant roles to assist the Prime Minister.
In fact, with only 10 months left before the next general election could be held, the DPM post should not become the main polemic at times when the people were facing rising inflation and tight budget control in the public sector.
Universiti Malaya Department of Administrative and Political Studies lecturer Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub said in today's context, Bersatu needed to look again at the support deficit the party received.
"If Bersatu continues to urge the Prime Minister to fulfill his promise of appointing a DPM, I see that the party would only suffer from support deficit that is worse than before.
"This is because the people's sentiments today is that if a minister is seen wearing expensive clothes, travelling abroad for any reason, including demanding for a ministerial post and DPM, they were considered "hungry" for a position which made the people sick of the politician's actions.
"There is no need for a DPM, what could the DPM do in such a short period because we already have specific cabinet ministers to help the people. We already have a Prime Minister and plenty of senior ministers in the cabinet.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Deputy Director of the Institute of Ethnic Studies Associate Professor Dr Kartini Aboo Talib said the DPM post would only add to the tendency of power struggle.
She said the maturity period was too short with speculations that the general election would be held in October or November.
"The claim for the DPM position showed that Bersatu felt insecure and now weighing their luck after two major losses in Melaka and Johor (state elections).
"We could see Bersatu is afraid of drifting away and wants to stay afloat. That was why they are demanding to be given the chance to become the DPM to actually strengthen themselves," she said.
Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) political analyst Dr Md Shukri Shuib who shared similar views said there was no justification which was significant in demanding for a DPM post.
He said the current format was based on Muhyiddin's idea when he became prime minister.
He added that the DPM post polemic should be stopped and attention should instead be given to the general election to gain a new mandate from the people.
