Ismail Sabri prioritises punctuality and people's well-being, say friends

Sharing the personal side of Ismail Sabri, who is also the MP for Bera, an old friend, Abu Hassan Mohd Endut, 73, who has known the new prime minister for more than 20 years when they both started being active in UMNO, described him as a very responsible person in carrying out his duties.

"He doesn't like people waiting for him. He will try to be on time. In fact, there were times when he arrived earlier than promised. Our prayers are that he will be able to shoulder this responsibility as best he can and everything will be smooth," he told reporters when met in Bera town here today.

Another friend, Ismail Mohd Ishak, 74, described Ismail Sabri, who is also the UMNO vice-president, as a hard-working individual, and being wise in adapting to situations or when faced with an issue.

He also described that Ismail Sabri, although firm in terms of work, still shared jokes with all age groups, resulting in him being highly likeable among the locals because there was no gap when they got together in an informal gathering.

Meanwhile, Azhar Mohamad, 56, who is the nephew of Ismail Sabri, described his uncle, fondly known as Pok Su Yie, as deeply concerned about family ties, and as a favourite of many.

He also said that they had not met face-to-face for a long time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, apart from the fact that his uncle had previously been busy carrying out duties as one of the country's top leaders in the fight against the pandemic.

"He complied with the rules set, as prior to this (pandemic), my house was a must-visit destination for him and his family," he said.

Apart from that, Tok Batin (village head) of Kampung Bukit Gemuruh, Johari Salam, 53, also described the prime minister as a sociable person and always concerned about the residents of Bera, including the well-being of the Orang Asli community.

"He treats us, the Orang Asli community in Bera, equally and is always ready to help in terms of infrastructure and so on; that is his nature for as long as I can remember," he said.

Johari added that he was confident with Ismail Sabri's abilities and experience, he would be able to govern the country well even with the economy and health aspects currently facing various challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For K. Murugan, 49, the Indian community in the constituency did not face any difficulty in asking for assistance from the Bera UMNO Division chief, as he treated everyone equally and was easily contacted and ever ready to lend a hand when any party needed help.

"He has done all sorts of things for us (the Indian community), among them, in terms of education which is very important, when he became our MP, we got two Tamil schools in Kemayan and Triang," he said.

Elsewhere, Lim Seng Tiong, 58, said that the appointment of Ismail Sabri as prime minister was hoped to bring more development to Bera, which now has several fast food restaurant chains, a military camp and also a Mara Science Junior College (MRSM).

"Infrastructure is also getting better, for example, the road from Temerloh, which connects this area to Negeri Sembilan, is one of the main routes for the people of the east coast to go to the southern region," he said.