PM hopes PN parties will close ranks with DPM post, Zahid in cul-de-sac

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin expressed hope that the appointment of two key Umno leaders to more senior positions within the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, in an apparent move to corner Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, will improve the unity among the ruling coalition's component parties.

Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been appointed as the deputy prime minister while Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was upgraded to a senior minister.

The appointments are seen as a concession to Umno in an attempt to block Zahid from taking the party out of the PN government...