Ismail said if the government was said to have failed to manage the country, it meant that Muhyiddin had also failed in his role as the government’s adviser.
“(Economic affairs minister) Mustapa Mohamed (from Bersatu) is managing the economy, and we have the National Recovery Council (MPN), which is chaired by Muhyiddin himself.
“MPN advises the government. So if the government has failed, that would mean everyone has failed, including MPN,” he said after launching the National Energy Policy here.
He said this when asked about a Facebook post by Muhyiddin earlier today, in which the latter said that a general election should be held if Ismail cannot manage the economy and country well.
Ismail said he had yet to read Muhyiddin’s statement in full, so he could not elaborate on the real message the former prime minister was trying to convey.
In his FB post, the Bersatu president also noted that the falling ringgit, rising inflation and current economic climate had hit regular Malaysians hard, while the B40 income group had effectively turned into the B60.
Muhyiddin, who is also Perikatan Nasional chairman, said he had yet to come to the point of urging Ismail to dissolve Parliament, noting that Barisan Nasional (BN) had been doing so repeatedly this year.
“However, I do think that if the prime minister fails to manage the economy and country well, it’s best that a general election is held so that a new government that is capable and free of corruption can be elected by the people,” he said.
Last week, Ismail said there was still time for the next general election to be held this year.
He said it all depended on Umno’s “top five”, which refers to the party president, the deputy president and the three vice-presidents, one of whom is Ismail.
Umno’s top five leaders will meet on Sept 30 to discuss the coming polls.
The government’s term ends next July and the general election must be held by mid-September 2023. However, some Umno leaders and most of its divisions have pressed for Parliament to be dissolved this year following convincing BN victories in state elections in Melaka last November and Johor in March.