After weeks of speculation, it would appear that, based on this document, there was an agreement between the then nominee for prime minister Ismail and his predecessor Muhyiddin for the post of deputy prime minister (DPM) to be given to someone from Bersatu.
While the authenticity of the document has yet to be confirmed, the “reservation” of the post of DPM for Bersatu has led to a number of questions ever since Muhyiddin raised the matter earlier this month.
The questions include whether Umno’s top guns were aware of the deal, and more importantly, whether the party’s “top five” had given their blessings to such an agreement.
There is also the question of timing and rationale. If there was such an agreement, why is Bersatu only demanding the post now? And why is it so important now when the country is less than a year away from the next general election (GE15)?
Given the executive’s sweeping powers and the unstable political landscape, the DPM’s post presents an opportunity to “reset” the dynamics should the sitting prime minister resign.
A number of analysts have pointed out that Bersatu’s prospects have taken a nosedive since Muhyiddin left office, with some of its MPs abandoning ship and the party getting trounced in the Johor and Melaka elections.
National Council of Professors fellow Jeniri Amir said despite the agreement, Ismail did not have to give in to Bersatu’s demands as Cabinet appointments were the prime minister’s prerogative.
“The post is very important to Bersatu, it will give the party a lifeline, especially when the government has a very slim majority,” he told FMT.
“If the prime minister resigns, the DPM is in the driver’s seat and can reshape the government. So it really does not make sense for Umno to agree to give Bersatu the DPM’s post.”
Jeniri said in the event Bersatu got the post, and should Ismail resign, there was no doubt that GE15 would only be called after the current Parliament’s term expired in 2023.
Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said he would not be surprised if “political deals” were struck prior to Ismail’s appointment as prime minister, even without Umno’s knowledge.
“But Bersatu, in pushing for the post of DPM, must also be wary of the fact that the appointment of a Bersatu DPM will spark a new power struggle within the party.”