He also said that any attack on the current government he leads was akin to an attack on a BN administration.

Ismail’s remarks were made in an impromptu address at a dinner by members of the BN Supreme Council with the Sabah BN leadership at the Umno building in Karamunsing here.

Among those present were BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah deputy president Arthur Joseph Kurup, and Sabah BN chairman Bung Moktar Radin.

Ismail said that he had been originally scheduled to address the Sabah BN convention tomorrow, but decided to speak for “five minutes” tonight as there were claims that he had been barred from Saturday’s event.

“What happened tonight shows that there are those who are trying to disunite us,” Bernama quoted him as saying.

Separately, he said Parti Bersatu Sabah’s recent salvo on the coalition revealed that the former BN component thought that the 15th general election was inching closer.

“PBS is part of the Sabah government, yet because the elections will be held soon, they have started attacking us.”

Yesterday, PBS president Maximus Ongkili claimed that a BN component party had given identity cards to undocumented migrants in exchange for their votes. Ongkili, who is also Sabah and Sarawak affairs minister, did not name the party or state when this was allegedly done.