KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob does not regret putting the party and Umno leaders first before his political career, when he briefly served as the ninth prime minister.
The Bera member of parliament said he will remain loyal to his party, despite everything.
"Some say I could have still been the prime minister if I was willing to go against my principles and arrest certain people, when I had the chance and power to do sos.
"But, I didn't want to do that because every decision I made was in the best interests of the party and the leadership.
"I have always prioritised the party no matter what. Yes, as PM I could have drawn the support (to go against Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) but that would have broken up the party," he said.
Ismail Sabri was speaking on the Keluar Sekejap podcast run by suspended Umno members Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan.
He said he had also not wanted to set a precedent for other party members and future leaders to go against the decisions of the party leadership.