BAGAN DATUK: Caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he should have sacked all 12 Perikatan Nasional (PN) ministers who had sent a letter to the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
"I brought up the issue (dissolution of Parliament) to the cabinet twice. Of course, there would be different views on the matter but I brought it up so that they would know my intention.
"I informed the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong there were 12 ministers who had written a letter to His Majesty requesting that Parliament not be dissolved.
"It is my mistake. I should have sacked them all, but I won't do that because I am nice and a gentle person," he said.
Ismail Sabri, who is also Umno vice-president, said this in his speech at the Solidarity — Stability and Prosperity Programme held at Dewan Perdana, Bagan Datuk Umno Division Complex here today.
He added that there was no point in "declaring war" because for him, what was important was to maintain the relationship.
On Oct 12, PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said he was obeying instructions from his party leadership when he and 11 others submitted a letter to the King.
Describing himself as a "party man" who abides by PN's aspirations, he echoed his party's stand of not having the polls this year.
On Oct 11, Ismail Sabri had said the 12 PN ministers had crossed the line and created disharmony in the government administration by sending the letter to the King.
He had said they had "planted the seeds of division" within his cabinet.
His statement was issued a day after the 14th Parliament was dissolved, nine months before it reached its full term.
On the same day, Istana Negara said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had consented to dissolution because he was disappointed with the political developments in the country.