“In 2015 Ismail [Sabri] courted controversy as trade minister when he urged Malay consumers to boycott profiteering Chinese businesses,” British newspaper The Guardian recapped yesterday in its foreign news report.
“In 2018 polls, Ismail waved the racial card, warning that every vote for the opposition was akin to eliminating special privileges given to Malays under a decades-old affirmative action program,” The Guardian recalled also.
Relating to the episode above, Ismail Sabri was a top story in Singapore’s The Straits Times on 2 Feb 2015 under the headline ‘Malaysia minister calls for Malays to boycott Chinese businesses’.
Although Ismail Sabri’s Facebook post about not wanting Malay consumers to be oppressed was subsequently deleted, it had been screen captured earlier and circulated in social media.
The then Najib cabinet minister however dug in his heels amidst the Chinese uproar.
‘I’m no racist, I won’t apologise, Ismail Sabri says’ was the Malay Mail headline on 10 Feb 2015.
Ismail Sabri was again in the Chinese crosshairs August 2015 for his Mara Digital Mall idea, dubbed ‘Lowyat 2’ in the public imagination.
The recent resignation by Muhyiddin has not abated the anti-government sentiments of the Chinese, spearheaded by the DAP’s hashtag # Kerajaan Gagal campaign.
On the contrary, Dapsters appear to be even more opposed to Umno’s Ismail Sabri than they were previously to the Bersatu outgoing PM.
An online petition titled ‘We don’t want Ismail Sabri Yaakob to be prime minister Malaysia’ is now fast trending.
The petition on Change.org has so far garnered some 318,000 signatures – many of them Chinese and Indian names – since it was launched on Wednesday.
On the one hand, DAP leaders are keen on their ‘unity government’ wet dream.
On the other hand, non Malays are pushing back against the possible elevation of Ismail Sabri to the PM’s chair.
This dissonance between DAP strategy and the party’s voter base is typical of the disconnect brought about by its leadership speaking out of both sides of the mouth to their devoted flock.
Helen Ang 
i think chinese common sense and logical thinking is relatively more sound in this case if it is true that only the chinese dont want ismail sabri.
I saw many signatures on the anti-Ismail Sabri petition featuring Indian names.
As I already also mentioned in blog post.
Who would have thought Ismail Sabri Yaakob could become the PM? How many Malaysians have been to Tasik Bera ? Now the Chinese can take a look at UMNO’s current line of upper echelons (VPs, Supreme Council Members, etc); these are your potential future PMs and deputy PMs. Last checked, Ahmad Maslan is still Secretary-General. Next, why not PPBM just disband and returns to UMNO?