KUCHING: Delaying the 15th general election (GE15) will give the opposition pact an opportunity to forge strategies and strengthen cooperation, political analysts said.
Senior University of Malaya lecturer Associate Professor Dr. Awang Azman Awang Pawi said if the dissolution of parliament was further delayed it would give space and time for the opposition Pakatan Harapan to negotiate with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU) which would not be good for Barisan Nasional (BN).
He predicted GE15 would be held before the tabling of the 2023 national budget because all parties and coalitions were not sure which bloc would be dominant and form a new government.
Awang Azman also expected GE15 to be held after the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Pakatan Nasional (PN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) expired at the end of July.
The UMNO Supreme Council has decided not to renew the MoU and wants the GE15 earlier.
He feared that if the dissolution of parliament and the GE15 were delayed, the inflation period would also prolong and cause delays in reviving the country’s economy.
“An early GE15 will open up space to create a strong political stability. At present we are facing uncertainty and investors have less confidence in investing in Malaysia,” he said.
Awang Azman said Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri, meanwhile, would ensure that he remained the prime minister for at least a year before the dissolution of parliament to show that was not pressure to dissolve parliament.
Another political analyst, Dick Lembang from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), said the need to hold the GE15 earlier was due to the performance of cabinet members in the current government led by Ismail Sabri who seemed to lack confidence in addressing the people’s problems, especially the rising cost of living.
Therefore, it was necessary to speed up GE15 to create political stability in the country, he said.
However, he was also unsure whether the current political climate and political landscape of the country would allow any political party to gain an absolute two-thirds victory to form a strong and stable government.
“At the same time, the question also arises whether politicians elected by the people or the party that forms the new government will really be able to bring the country out of the problems that the people are facing at the moment,” he said.
He hoped the new government formed after GE15 would give priority to the problems plaguing the people.
“The people need a leadership that has a high commitment in resolving the people’s problems. We don’t want leaders who are rhetorical and just good in saying sweet words.
“The people want elected leaders who are highly committed in resolving problems,” he said.
