He was greeted at the main block of Perdana Putra, which houses the Prime Minister’s Office, by chief secretary to the government Mohd Zuki Ali and senior deputy secretary-general of the Prime Minister’s Department, Jamil Rakon.

Also present were Public Service director-general Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman, Attorney-General Idrus Harun, Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani and Armed Forces chief General Affendi Buang.

After he clocked in on Level 5 of the building, a doa or prayer was led by the integrity officer in the Prime Minister’s Department, Muhd Redza Ahmad, before Ismail signed the welcome book.

Ismail, 61, who took his oath of office as the ninth prime minister last Saturday, is scheduled to make his first official working visit to the Kuala Muda and Yan districts in Kedah later today to check on the flood-affected areas.