BERA: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has brushed aside talks that he will be named as interim prime minister.
The Defence Minister described it as mere rumours and that the term interim prime minister does not exist in the Federal Constitution.
"I was made to understand that there are no terms such as interim prime minister or interim government in the Federal Constitution. All the reports are rumours.
"This might be an effort to create uneasiness within the government or cause a split. We do not need to entertain all this...when we pay attention (to the rumours) then things appear to worsen," he told reporters after distributing food baskets to village headmen at the Kampung Charuk Puting mosque here today.
The Umno vice-president, who is also the Bera member of parliament, reminded everyone to remain calm following the recent developments in the country.
"This is not the time to cause uneasiness, disunity or cause a split, instead we must try to cool things down. Let's all be united as we have a huge responsibility ahead including helping people who are facing hardships due to the pandemic.
"Why not focus on solving the people's issues instead of trying to cause disagreements. It is best to stay away from all these issues and remain focused on our responsibilities to help the people," he said.
Earlier today, Umno Veterans' Club secretary-general Mustapha Yaakub said due to the current political uncertainty, it was best to appoint an interim prime minister and named Ismail Sabri as the suitable candidate.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said the statement he issued on July 29 stating the support of 40 Barisan Nasional (BN) members of parliament for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was "genuine".
"The contents of the letter that the 40 BN MPs support the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government are true. The statement was made after I met the 40 MPs.
"The confusion was only over the use of the BN letterhead....we are BN elected representatives so we have the right to use the BN letterhead. How can I use other letterheads when we are from BN?" he said.
Ismail Sabri said the controversy surrounding the BN letterhead should not arise as what is important is the contents of the statement.
In the statement, Ismail Sabri mentioned that 40 lawmakers had unanimously expressed their support for Muhyiddin before BN's executive secretary Mohd Sahfri Ab Aziz issued a statement several hours later denying the existence of the letter with the BN letterhead.