Malaysia’s Umno takes back reins as king picks Ismail Sabri Yaakob as new PM

The 61-year-old is a three-decade veteran of the United Malays National Organisation and has previously courted controversy for his strident views on Malay ethno-nationalism

New leader is likely to keep ties with China and the United States on an even keel, experts say

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Ismail Sabri Yaakob must face a vote of confidence when the legislature convenes on September 6. Photo: AP

Published: 4:59pm, 20 Aug 2021Updated: 9:22pm, 20 Aug 2021

Malaysia’s king has picked Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the country’s next prime minister, in a move that caps a major reversal of fortunes for the decades-old United Malays National Organisation (Umno) following its fall from grace in the 2018 election.

The 61-year-old will be Malaysia’s ninth prime minister, and the third national leader since the shock ousting of Najib Razak in the watershed vote three years ago.

Political observer Oh Ei Sun said the new administration’s main focus would be on getting the Covid-19 situation under control, as the daily caseload once again hit a new record of 23,564 on Friday.

On foreign policy, including towards China and the US, Oh said the new leader was likely to continue maintaining a stance of keeping ties with all major powers on an even keel.

The National Palace said in a statement that Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah chose Ismail Sabri after confirming that the former defence minister had the backing of 114 out of 220 lawmakers – slightly more than a simple majority.

The monarch this week conducted a secret ballot of MPs, and subsequently interviewed each lawmaker who declared their support for Ismail Sabri.

Ismail Sabri will be sworn in on Saturday afternoon in a tradition-steeped ceremony in the National Palace to be presided over by the sultan, who serves as a constitutional head of state.