KUALA LUMPUR: Caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob asked the people to give him five more years to make the country more prosperous and less divided.
Ismail Sabri, who had vowed to continue where he left off if Barisan Nasional wins Putrajaya in the 15th General Election, promised that in taking Malaysia to greater heights, he would ensure the cabinet would not be as bloated as it was and its members would be qualified for their posts.
He said he was hopeful Malaysians would embrace his idea of an inclusive government that embraces diversity, in line with the Keluarga Malaysia aspiration.
He said if he was given a strong mandate to lead again, Malaysians could look forward to greater prosperity and an end to divisive politics.
“I was a PM for all and I will continue to be a PM for all.”
He said he was proud that the people had accepted the Keluarga Malaysia concept initiated by his government as it was an important element to strengthen unity and harmony among Malaysians.
“We have not seen any polemics on religious and racial issues lately. This is important for a country with a pluralistic society.”
On his track record, Ismail Sabri said a lot had been achieved in his short time in office.
“I succeeded in managing numerous issues that cropped up. I did it in the short period I led the country.
“Give me five more years and I will be able to do a lot more,” he said in an interview broadcast on Tuesday night when asked what he had to offer compared with the three other prime minister candidates, namely Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Ismail Sabri said people should reflect on how Dr Mahathir’s 22-month Pakatan Harapan (PH) government was toppled by his own party and how Muhyiddin’s administration also collapsed after 18 months.
“I came in at a very challenging time, but still managed to resolve many issues that cropped up. Nobody tried to topple me.”
He cited how he had to manage the country when it was grappling with 24,000 new Covid-19 cases a day, hundreds of deaths and lack of intensive care hospital beds.
He said the economy had almost come to a standstill due to the lockdown, all while the country was facing political instability.
“We overcame all these challenges.
“From 24,000 cases, we ended up as a country that handled the Covid-19 pandemic very well.
“Our vaccination rates were very high compared with other places.”
He said political stability would strengthen Malaysia’s economy, which was vital in the post-Covid-19 era.
He said Malaysia’s economy grew 14.2 per cent in the third quarter this year, supported by expansion in domestic demand, firm recovery in the labour market and ongoing policies.
“We reached this from five per cent in the first quarter, to 8.9 per cent and then 14.2 per cent.
“We also reduced unemployment to just 3.6 per cent, which is considered full employment.”
He said foreign direct investment was also increasing.
He said this was achieved after he reached an understanding with opposition parties and convinced them on the need for everyone to focus on fixing the economy instead of fixating on politics.
“I stabilised politics after signing a memorandum of understanding with them.
“This has never happened before. We called for a ceasefire and worked with the other side to stabilise the political temperature.”
He said the anti-party hopping law was enacted during his leadership.
Asked what he would bring to the table if he led again, Ismail Sabri said he would reduce the size of the cabinet and fill it with technocrats, with minister selection to be based on skill sets.
He pledged to cut red tape and bureaucracy that had turned away foreign investors.
On the cost of living, he said it is one of the main agendas in BN’s manifesto, along with addressing challenges faced by the youth.
