“Was Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin still prime minister when Ismail Sabri entered a deal with him, and if so, was the whole power transition part of a secret deal between the duo?”
Raggie Jessy Rithaudeen
PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan reportedly admitted to drafting a “memorandum of agreement” between Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Ismail Sabri Yaakob in August 2021 for the deputy prime minister’s post.
“I was the law minister, so I was asked to draft all law-related documents,” he said in a Berita Harian report.
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However, he added that the deputy prime minister’s post was not mandatory as it was not enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
According to Takiyuddin, the appointment of a deputy prime minister prior to Ismail Sabri’s administration was due to convention and at the discretion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“When it’s not in the Federal Constitution, then it would depend on whether the King wishes to appoint a deputy prime minister or not.
“So, it cannot be said that a deputy prime minister must be appointed, although the prime minister has the prerogative to appoint one if needed,” he said.
However, on Friday, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang denied claims that a formal agreement existed between Ismail Sabri and Perikatan Nasional (PN) over the post of deputy prime minister.
While Hadi admitted that there were discussions on the post, he reiterated that there was no official agreement.
Does this mean that Hadi was not informed by Takiyuiddin of the MoU?
Interestingly, Takiyuddin claimed that he drafted all documents in his capacity as law minister.
However, the agreement regarding the post of deputy prime minister was between Bersatu and Ismail Sabri before the latter was even nominated for the post of prime minister.
So how come Takiyuddin drafted the documents as law minister, and under whose instructions did he act?
It’s obvious that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was prime minister when Ismail Sabri entered the deal, given that Takiyuddin was still law minister.
But then, why was the agreement signed after Muhyiddin stepped down as prime minister and not before?
