Leaders send well wishes to Ismail Sabri for his appointment

KUALA LUMPUR: Leaders across the political divide congratulated Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob for his appointment as Malaysia’s ninth Prime Minister today through their official social media accounts.

UMNO President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on his official Facebook account congratulated Ismail Sabri and expressed his gratitude to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and all the Malay Rulers.

MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong welcomed the appointment and said that he hoped Ismail Sabri could continue the efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic for the benefit and security of the country and people.

MIC President Tan Sri S. Vigneswaran congratulated Ismail Sabri via a brief Facebook post that read: "Congratulations to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on the appointment as the ninth Prime Minister".

Meanwhile, PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang in a statement noted that the party welcomed the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s consent to appoint Ismail Sabri as the country’s ninth Prime Minister and congratulated the Bera Member of Parliament (MP) on the appointment.

"PAS calls on all leaders and the people to respect the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decision to allow the government to continue efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, revive the economy and strengthen unity in the country," he said.

Gombak MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali tweeted that he was confident that Ismail Sabri would continue his efforts to build a strong and credible Malaysia.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Ir Hasni Mohammad also said that he was confident Ismail Sabri would be able to lead Malaysia into being a more developed and prosperous country.

"I call on all leaders, whether in the government or the opposition to continue to focus on efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic," he said in a statement.

Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim also conveyed his congratulatory message to Ismail Sabri via a post on his official Facebook account.

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad said the process to appoint the country’s new Prime Minister was conducted in an orderly manner which took into account the views of the Malay Rulers and all the MPs, adding that it reflected His Majesty’s wisdom in tackling the issue.

He urged all parties to take heed of His Majesty’s call to stop political polemics and set aside differences and give priority to the people’s welfare and health.

Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali described Ismail Sabri’s appointment as a new ray of hope to the people in facing challenges related to health management, economy and national stability.

“Do your best for Malaysia. Melaka state leadership truly believes that he can finish the job and we are always with him,” he said.

Meanwhile, Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) president Mohamad Sabu, who congratulated Ismail Sabri for his appointment in his Facebook post, also expressed his regret that the leaders who were chosen by the people in the May 2018 election were not given the same mandate.

PKR information chief Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin in a post on Twitter shared an outline of his phone call with Ismail Sabri and congratulated him on his appointment.

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman also congratulated Ismail Sabri via a post on his Facebook account, saying that he hoped the new government would work hard to tackle the COVID-19 crisis and revive the country's economy.

-- BERNAMA