FORMER prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has warned the unity government that it may not last, citing the ongoing tension between Umno and DAP.

He said the problems have begun following a war of words between some figures within the two parties.

“A ‘forced marriage’ will not work. It must be consensual. In a ‘forced marriage’, there are no feelings for each other. Hence, there will be fissures.

“This is just the beginning (of the relationship) but there are DAP (people) commenting about Umno and Umno commenting about DAP,” he said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, according to a video clip that has gone viral.

He said ties between the two parties must not only be smooth among the top leadership but also between the grassroots.

Umno agreed to be part of the government formed by Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim after the last general election.

Previously the party had always insisted of not working with PH as long as DAP was in the pact.

Both Umno and DAP share years of animosity.

In recent weeks, leaders from both the parties have been hitting each other over their respective political influence.

Last week, Perak DAP vice-chief Abdul Aziz Bari was reported as saying Umno’s role in state elections was still uncertain because they do not appear to be able to draw Malay support.

Johor Umno deputy chief Nur Jazlan Mohamed had hit back, saying Malay distrust of DAP was also posing a challenge for the party to win back Malay support.

Nur Jazlan stressed that Umno was committed to making the Barisan Nasional-PH alliance work and thus, did not draw attention to the matter.

“But when we are quiet, DAP is the one who makes such statements,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ismail has been sidelined from the Umno hierarchy after he decided not to defend his vice-president’s post in the recent party polls.

He had also been keen to form a government with Perikatan Nasional after the November polls last year. – April 17, 2023.