Ismail Sabri appointed DPM, Hishammuddin now senior minister
Published 7 Jul 2021, 6:49 pm
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has appointed Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as his deputy with immediate effect.
"This appointment will help the prime minister manage the country and fulfill the people's needs in a situation where the country is facing a health and economic crisis," read a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) this evening.
The PMO said Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has been promoted to senior minister and will take over Ismail's security portfolio.
Hishammuddin will also assist the prime minister in executing the National Recovery Plan, it said.
"Both appointments have been presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and are effective immediately.
"It is hoped that these appointments will enhance the capability of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government especially in handling the Covid-19 pandemic, strengthening the unity between parties that form the government, and solidifying the PN government with an administration that is transparent, free of corruption, and with integrity.
"The Prime Minister's Office would like to extend our congratulations to both Ismail Sabri and Hishammuddin for their appointments," it said.
The move to promote Ismail and Hishammuddin comes ahead of alleged plans by Umno's top leadership to withdraw its party's support for the government at a supreme council meeting tonight.
For the record, Umno has 38 MPs, making it the party with the largest number of parliamentarians in the PN administration, and thus putting the government at risk of a collapse should Umno pull out.
It was learned that several Umno MPs, including those in the Muhyiddin cabinet, are against the plan to sever ties with PN.
However, should party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the supreme council members vote in favour of cessation, the MPs may have to choose between staying with Muhyiddin or following their party.
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