Speaking at a press conference here, Loke said the Cabinet was working “very well” together.

“There are no arguments and we always prioritise national interests,” he said.

“We don’t talk about politics at the weekly Cabinet meetings. We talk about national agendas, including air ticket prices,” he said during a media briefing about the price of airfares from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau, Sabah.

Loke also reminded Ismail that the cooperation of parties in the unity government was based on the advice of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, adding that he was committed to upholding the King’s advice to strengthen the unity government for the sake of the country.

“People who talk about friction (in the unity government) actually want to see friction,” said Loke.

“As a former prime minister, does he (Ismail) want to see disunity in the unity government?”

Ismail was quoted as saying that the unity government was a “forced marriage” which would not last long, adding that “cracks will be seen pretty soon” which could lead to a “divorce”.

This comes after Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed claimed on Saturday that having DAP in the government was a liability that prevented Umno from gaining Malay support.

He said Umno was “sincere in making this unity government a success”, adding that DAP should appreciate Umno’s role in helping it and Pakatan Harapan (PH) form the federal government.

He was responding to Perak DAP vice-chairman Abdul Aziz Bari, who recently said Malay support had shifted from Umno to Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Aziz said the results of the last general election saw PN gain serious ground over the once-dominant Umno. He said Umno was now in survival mode, relying on PH for positions to stay in power.