PRIME Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob is inexperienced and has no idea how to run the country, Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

The former prime minister also said that Ismail had met with him before he was appointed prime minister, but has not since then.

“Ismail has no experience and has no ideas,” Dr Mahathir said during a press conference after Berjasa’s national assembly.

“If you are the PM, you have to have a problem-solving mind, and we have a lot of problems now – the economy, politics, social issues and foreign affairs.”

When asked whether he thought an election will be held this year as Ismail is under pressure from his own party, Umno, the Gerakan Tanah Air chairman said it was unlikely.

“Personally I don’t think it is this year, but we don’t know,” he said.

“Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Umno president) wants the election this year because he is facing the courts but the PM is not keen. 

“If there is an election, Ismail won’t keep his job, he won’t remain PM. He is currently enjoying being the PM and wants to do so for as long as possible.

“Now we have a crop of people whose only objective is to be PM. And what a PM should do, they don’t know. 

“They come up with ideas that continue to remain as PM, not to serve the people and country. This is the PM we have now. 

“We have had four PMs after independence and we had a good government, but now even the civil servants are corrupt because of these people.”

The Pejuang chairman said another reason why it was unlikely an election would be held this year was because Umno itself was fractured.

“They are split. They all have different opinions. The leaders are not united.

“Today (at the Umno Supreme Council meeting) they will try to pull support from all its members, but I am confident not all will attend.” – August 27, 2022.