FORMER prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob should have used proper channels within Umno to voice out his concerns, Mohamed Khaled Nordin said.

The Umno vice-president told The Star that Ismail, who is also a vice-president of the party, could use the channels that have been provided within the party to share his thoughts.

“If we want to answer all of his allegations, we can do it, but I do not think that going through the media is the right place for it,” said the higher education minister.

Khaled, who is also Johor Umno chief, said this when met after officiating at Tasek 64 community sewing centre in Bandar Seri Alam today.

Recently, Ismail told Star Media Group’s Malay-language news portal Majoriti, about the present government’s administration.

He said he was ready to bear the risk of speaking out against actions that he believed go against Umno’s constitution and core principles.

He said his openness to speak out was a necessity to ensure the party would continue progressing as an open and diverse platform for all its members.

Previously, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi blamed Ismail for Umno’s defeat in the November general election.

“After the general election, no one wanted to be held responsible. I was pressured to resign, but why me alone? 

“What about our poster boy (Ismail), the state liaison chiefs, some of the division and wing heads? It was everyone’s responsibility.

“So stop the blame game. Do some soul searching and conduct post-mortems on why we performed badly,” he was quoted as saying in an interview with The Star. – February 11, 2023.