Khairy said the former Pulai MP’s statements against Ismail were not helpful as the party needed to show a united front in the lead-up to the next general election (GE15).

“If he (Nur Jazlan) has something to say to Ismail or the Umno president, there are many other channels and the best way is to do so internally, especially when it’s regarding the leadership of the party or the nation.

“If there are disagreements, speak up during meetings or discuss it personally. There’s no need to weaken the party with unconstructive comments in the media,” said the former Umno Youth chief.

Yesterday, Nur Jazlan said the delay in making a decision on Zuraida Kamaruddin’s Cabinet post was indicative of Ismail’s weak position.

Nur Jazlan said the fact that the prime minister was “dragging his feet” showed that he could be buying time, adding that it has been two weeks since Zuraida left Bersatu for Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) and she was still in the Cabinet.

On Tuesday, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin urged Ismail to quickly decide on Zuraida’s ministerial position as he already had a candidate to replace her. He said he was waiting to meet Ismail.

Separately, Khairy confirmed no case of monkeypox had been detected in the country.

He said up to June 21, the ministry had been notified of five suspected cases involving two male and three female patients aged three to 30 years old, but all cases tested negative for monkeypox.

Yesterday, Singapore confirmed an imported case of monkeypox, the first such case reported in Southeast Asia during this year’s outbreak of the viral disease.