PN to meet PM Ismail on 'unfulfilled terms' of 2021 deal

Perikatan Nasional (PN) says it will seek a meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to discuss the terms of his agreement with the coalition, claiming that these have yet to be met. 

PN secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin said a meeting of the coalition's Supreme Council last night, chaired by Muhyiddin Yassin, had voiced disappointment at what he described as Ismail's lack of will to fulfil these terms. 

"Regret was expressed over the actions of the prime minister, who appears to be lacking in his efforts to meet the important terms contained in his agreement with PN," he said.

Earlier this month, Marzuki Mohamad, Muhyiddin's senior private secretary-general during his time as prime minister, confirmed an agreement that Ismail would appoint a deputy prime minister from Bersatu. 

He also said that the parties involved had agreed that the deal could not be made public. 

"It was signed by Muhyiddin and the prime minister on Aug 17, 2021, and witnessed by a minister from Bersatu and another minister from Umno," he said in a statement.

"As the official of the eighth prime minister at the time, I was directly involved in preparing the agreement."

Muhyiddin, who resigned from the top office after losing the support of the majority last August, said he had met with Ismail to consider what he said was the previous agreement between the coalition and the prime minister. 

"We are not asking for more (than what has been agreed), only about the appointment of a deputy prime minister and ministers as well as those involving government-linked agencies and statutory bodies as well as the government’s allocations," he said.