YAN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob says he will not appoint members from the Opposition to be part of his Cabinet.

       “They have no participation in the Cabinet. There is no unity government with the Opposition," he was quoted as saying here on Monday (Aug 23).

       The Prime Minister clarified that his Cabinet line-up will be announced later this week and denied every list that has been shared on social media.

       “Please don’t believe any list. Every day there is a new list. But thank you also for helping me,” he said with a laugh.

       He added that the Cabinet line-up must get the nod from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong before it can be made public.

       Ismail Sabri said so far he had received encouraging feedback from opposition parties that wanted to join the National Recovery Council.

       “It seems that we received an encouraging response from the Opposition. God willing, we will sit down together and talk," said the Prime Minister.

       Asked whether he would set the Cabinet line-up based on the representation percentage of political parties, he declined to comment.

       “It’s dangerous, it’s getting closer,” he was quoted by The Vibes as saying at a press conference here on his visit to disaster-hit areas in Kedah.

       The visit to Yan was Ismail Sabri's first official trip following his swearing-in as the ninth Prime Minister on Saturday (Aug 21).

       In his maiden speech on Sunday (Aug 22), Ismail Sabri asked all Malaysians to work as one “Malaysian Family” to join in the recovery of the nation and fight the Covid-19 pandemic.