CARETAKER Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today urged all Malaysians to accept the outcome of the 15th general election, regardless of who wins.

The incumbent Bera MP also expressed hope that the voting process will proceed smoothly without incident.

“We must accept (polls results) in a spirited manner without causing any commotion… accept the people’s decision with an open heart. 

“We don’t want to go back to the days when people began marching clad in black and hurling allegations to the point of triggering provocative incidents,” he told a media conference after attending a meet and greet session with local residents at Bandar 32 in Bera today. 

He also advised voters returning to their hometowns to fulfil their voting responsibility to exercise caution during their journey. 

In a related development, Ismail also gave an assurance that Barisan Nasional (BN), if given a fresh mandate, will implement more initiatives on matters pertaining to the wellbeing and interests of the people. 

He said the BN-led government’s seriousness in looking after the interests of the people is reflected in its various achievements throughout his 16-month leadership, despite him having taken over the helm amid the Covid pandemic. 

“I took over the government when the biggest issue involved the people’s lives as Covid cases were high. Our focus in the early stages then was to keep cases under control until the numbers (new cases) decreased and we could reopen the various sectors to enable the people to live normal lives. 

“I promise if (BN) is given another five years, more initiatives that we had planned for the people can be implemented as we will have a longer period to carry them out,” he said. 

Ismail also appealed to young voters to throw their support behind BN, whom he said had always taken care of their interests, besides being a coalition that was vastly experienced and has a good track record of governing the country. – Bernama, November 18, 2022.