The Umno vice-president said what mattered most was not the number of parliamentary seats contested but rather how many were won.
This could only materialise through the strong solidarity enjoyed by the two political partners in the Sabah government.
Ismail said BN could have opted to contest all 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah, which would mean pitting itself against its GRS partners.
He cited the Malay proverb “dikendong tak dapat yang dikejar keciciran”, which describes the situation where things already in hand are much more valuable than what you could get.
“To win GE15, we need solidarity within Umno and BN, and in Sabah, with our partners in the state government (GRS).
“We are entering the ring with only one aim — to win every seat contested,” he said in his speech at the BN Zone 3 Gelombang Biru (Blue Wave) programme here today.
The programme was officiated by BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Also present were BN vice-chairman Arthur Joseph Kurup, who is also Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) deputy president, BN secretary-general Zambry Abdul Kadir; BN treasurer-general Hishammuddin Hussein; Sabah BN chairman Bung Moktar Radin and GRS Supreme Council member Arifin Mohd Arif.
BN, made up of Umno, MCA, MIC and PBRS, has forged ties with GRS, which comprises Sabah Bersatu, Parti Bersatu Sabah, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), Sabah Progressive Party and the United Sabah National Organisation to govern the state.
‘No WTC cluster’
Ismail said while preserving unity with other parties was important, solidarity within BN was also key to ensuring the coalition remained solid. He cited the strong unity existing between him and Zahid, who is Umno president, as an example.
“There have been attempts to cause divisions between me and the president (Zahid). So, go to the ground and explain that our relationship is very strong and cannot be broken up.
“There is supposedly a Putrajaya cluster headed by me and a WTC (World Trade Centre, where Umno has its headquarters) cluster which the president heads.
“But there is no Putrajaya or WTC cluster. There is only the Umno cluster led by the president.”
He said the unity shown by the party’s top leadership needs to be emulated by each party member, especially at the grassroots level to ensure victory, regardless of who represents the party in GE15.
‘Make BN dominant party’
Ismail said efforts must be intensified to make BN a dominant party in a government that is not too dependent on other parties to remain in power.
“Yes, I am the prime minister but our party only has 42 (parliamentary) seats.
“In order to make huge decisions for the sake of the people, BN must have more control. If we are dominant, we will be able to approve anything for the benefit of Sabahans.”
Ismail said one major decision involved the 2023 budget, which was presented on Oct 7. This was of special interest to Sabah, with a RM6.3 billion allocation for development projects in the state.
In addition, he said as much as RM180 million in the budget had been allocated to develop the National Digital Network (Jendela) initiative in Sabah, which is currently 87.5% complete.
“The budget has not been implemented. All of you can decide on polling day whether this same budget can be retabled or not.”
At the same event, Ismail also launched the RM127 million Jalan Bukit Manggis road upgrade project in Kimanis and the RM4 million Bongawan second mosque construction project.