COMMENT BY YB PROF DR P.RAMASAMY, DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER II, PENANG
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob might be described as the man of all seasons. One academic went to the extent of saying Ismail might not shine as a leader but has all the qualities to unite the different factions of Umno.
No wonder that Umno decided to name him the candidate of choice for the post prime minister after the general election. Not only Ismail has the ability to unite the forces within Umno but also bring into fold the opposition through the memorandum of understanding (MoU) and be able to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the academic who heaped praises on Ismail fail to disclose that the nomination of Ismail as the prime minister is merely game plan to entice him to call for an early general election.
What happens after the general election, can be anybody’s guess. A less than a mediocre prime minister would have done a better job in the containment of the pandemic.
Malaysians should thank the availability of the vaccines more than anything else than to give credit to the wrong person. The MoU with the opposition was merely to prolong the prime ministership of Ismail more than anything else.
The opposition went along with the MoU merely to keep the corrupt Umno leaders from seizing power. Whether the opposition really benefited from the Mou, is something else.
For just doing ordinary things, Ismail has earned praises. Yes, he might not be controversial but he hardly deserves any credit for keeping the country just going for its sake.
The fact that he lasted in the post until today speaks not about his uniting abilities but rather the deep and insurmountable divisions within and without.
The last monarch of France, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was able to last for period not because he was able or clever leader, but he sought to represent or gave the impression of representation to all segments of the society.
He was hero to the peasants, workers, petty bourgeois, the landed class and the aristocrats. But in actual sense, he became a victim or pawn of the growing capitalist class in France.
Comparing Ismail to Louis Napoleon Bonaparte might not be fair given the vast gap in history. But the very Bonaparte sought to represent all sections of society bordered on naivety and foolishness.
Just because Umno has come out with game plan to nominate Ismail as the prime minister is an indication of exalting him before ditching him at the appropriate time.
