When Muhyiddin Yassin stepped down as PM on August 16, the nation started questioning who could be subsequent to step as much as the function. The names of two candidates have been thrown round: Anwar Ibrahim, and Ismail Sabri.

Right this moment, MP Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been appointed because the ninth prime minister (PM) of Malaysia. Citing a press release, Istana Negara mentioned Ismail Sabri might be sworn in at 2.30PM tomorrow (August 21).

Malaysians most just lately know him because the Defence Minister who got here into the highlight ever for the reason that MCO was first introduced in March. We watched as he briefed the general public on the most recent SOPs concerning motion restrictions happening within the nation underneath the cupboard of the previous PM, Muhyiddin. 

Now that he’s set to rule the nation for the foreseeable future (2 years till the subsequent GE, not less than), we regarded into his skilled (and a little bit of his private) life to get a greater concept of simply who Ismail Sabri is.

1. He’s the shortest-serving Deputy PM for under 40 days

It was introduced that Sabri had clocked into the Deputy Prime Minister’s (DPM) workplace in Putrajaya on July 9, 2021. He was promoted from senior minister to help the then PM in managing the nation and fulfilling the folks’s wants in financial and well being crises.

If sworn in as deliberate, Sabri might be promoted once more because the nation’s ninth PM at 2.30PM on August 21, 2021, which places the period of his reign as DPM at a complete of 40 days. 

He would be the shortest-serving DPM up to now, after Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s reign of 1 12 months, 279 days because the right-hand man to Mahathir Mohamad after Pakatan Harapan gained GE14 in 2018.

2. He got here from a background in regulation

When he was elected as our Defence Minister, many Malaysians doubted his competency as a result of he had no prior expertise within the function.

Sabri himself confessed in an interview with NST, “I’ve no expertise as defence minister. I had by no means been entrusted [with] that portfolio. Nonetheless, I can at all times discuss with and research ministerial data and selections made to grasp all issues associated to the ministry.”

As an alternative, his coaching is within the discipline of regulation, the place he pursued a Bachelor of Regulation within the College of Malaya in 1980 and wrote a thesis, “Remedy of political detainees in Malaysia”.

He started his profession as a lawyer in 1985 earlier than being appointed Member of the Temerloh UMNO Division Committee in 1987. That was the beginning of his political profession.

Since then, Sabri has held a number of totally different ministerial positions, together with in Agriculture, Home Commerce, Rural Growth, Defence, and now, Prime Minister.

3. His spouse picks out his kuih-like batik shirts

Sabri was as soon as the joke of city for carrying vibrant batik shirts throughout his every day press conferences. Viewers even in contrast his shirts to Ramadan delicacies.

Apparently, his spouse is the one who chooses what he ought to put on based mostly on how nicely it might match the opposite issues he’s carrying. 

He additionally instructed NST that he was truly pleased to be receiving such reactions from viewers, as a result of he noticed it as a constructive signal that individuals have been tuning in to the every day press conferences for updates in regards to the newest MCO and CMCO information.

4. He has members of the family who’re in style within the inventive arts scene

Sabri’s son, Gadaffi Ismail Sabri (or extra popularly generally known as Dafi) is a singer, and was a participant in Season 5 of the truth present, Akademi Fantasia.

In the meantime, his daughter Nina Sabrina is the spouse of designer Jovian Mandagie, who sometimes offers Sabri style recommendation on what to put on for press conferences.

5. He’s the primary PM who isn’t an UMNO president

Sabri’s appointment as PM makes him the primary UMNO PM who just isn’t the celebration’s president—he is only one of three vice-presidents. The help of 114 lawmakers was sufficient for a easy majority to persuade the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of his candidacy for the PM place.

Following this announcement, Malaysia’s longest-governing political celebration, UMNO might be set to reclaim the premiership after its loss within the 2018 elections.

6. He has no identified corruption instances

Malaysia isn’t any stranger to having its politicians get arrested for corruption. However to date, Sabri has no identified corruption instances, although he’s racked up an inventory of controversies over time as a minister.

Some racial-sensitive ones embody his alleged 2015 Fb feedback urging Malays to boycott Chinese language companies to power them to cut back costs consistent with falling oil costs. This prompted offence to a couple events, together with the DAP to lodge a police report towards that assertion.

In the identical 12 months, Sabri prompted extra controversy when he proposed a “Low Yat 2”, a digital gadget mall that will solely home Malay merchants to compete with the present Plaza Low Yat. Liow Tiong Lai, MCA’s then-president, revoked that the organising of Low Yat 2 would solely damage racial relations, and described the concept for a bumiputera-only mall as an “antagonistic strategy.”

Fellow UMNO member Saifuddin Abdullah additionally criticised the proposal, claiming that Sabri’s proposal could be detrimental to Malays and Malaysians on the whole.

These are simply two of Sabri’s identified controversies, but it surely leaves little doubt for the truth that Sabri is a polarising determine attributable to his views and statements.

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Muhyiddin is leaving Sabri with a heavy duty to bear. All eyes might be on the brand new PM to see if he has what it takes to show the tides of Malaysia’s destiny amidst the pandemic.

His previous controversies have already left some Malaysians with a lot doubt about his potential to suggest and implement constructive change and development for the nation, and the ball is in his court docket to alter their minds.

Featured Picture Credit score: Ismail Sabri Yaakob