VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

In this photo provided by Prime Minister Office, Malaysia's new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob speaks at his office in Putrajaya on Aug 27, 2021. (Prime Minister Office via AP) - 

It has been a week since Mr Ismail Sabri Yaakob was sworn in as Malaysia's ninth prime minister last Saturday (Aug 21).

In his first televised address the next day, he called for bipartisan cooperation in Malaysia’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the country’s economic recovery. 

The vice president of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) also touted the “Malaysian family” concept to promote inclusivity across the religion, race and ethnic boundaries. 

Shortly after clocking into the office in Putrajaya on Monday, he made a working trip north to visit flood victims in Kedah. 

On Wednesday, he struck a symbolic deal with the opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition in finding common ground for cooperation. 

In announcing his Cabinet line-up on Friday, he appeared to prioritise policy continuity and retained quite a few political office holders from the previous government. He also gave each ministry 100 days to prove their performance. 

Mr Ismail Sabri’s rise to power came amid political turbulence in Putrajaya. Formerly a senior minister in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government led by Mr Muhyiddin Yassin, he was promoted to deputy prime minister on Jul 7 when UMNO was threatening to pull out of PN. 

After Mr Muhyiddin resigned, slightly more than half of the 220 MPs in Malaysia named Mr Ismail Sabri as their candidate of choice to be the next prime minister. 

With 114 statutory declarations backing him, the coveted post is back in the grip of UMNO, after two years of premiership under PH from 2018 to 2020 and subsequently 18 months under PN.  

The current government is made up of MPs from Barisan Nasional (BN, comprising UMNO, Malaysia Chinese Association, Malaysian Indian Congress and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah), PN (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku Sabah), Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Parti Bersatu Sabah.

In his Aug 22 televised address to the country, Mr Ismail Sabri extended an invitation to the opposition leaders to be part of two government bodies, namely the National Recovery Council and Special Committee on COVID-19. 

The offer was in sync with King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah’s decree for the politicians to work as one team and set aside the “winner takes all” mentality//CNA