Ismail Sabri: I was just joking about sacking 12 PN ministers

Caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he was just joking when he said he should have sacked all the 12 cabinet ministers from Perikatan Nasional (PN) who sent a letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to object to the dissolution of Parliament.

Ismail Sabri was responding to Abdul Latiff Ahmad, who he appointed last year as special functions minister.

“If I was serious, he (Latiff) and other PN ministers would have already been sacked.

“(The fact that) he and the others are still in the cabinet means I was just kidding,” he said, as reported by The Star Online today.

Earlier today, Latiff, who is with Bersatu, challenged Ismail Sabri to remove him from his position after the latter made his remarks about how he should have sacked the 12 PN cabinet members.

“We are still members of the caretaker cabinet. It is not too late to be sacked. Perhaps the ninth prime minister can create history by sacking a cabinet member during ‘injury time’,” Latiff said.

Previously, Ismail Sabri blamed the 12 ministers for his decision to dissolve Parliament amidst repeated suggestions by some government agencies that it should be held off until the monsoon season was over.

Ismail Sabri argued that his position became untenable after the dozen petitioned the Agong behind his back.

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