KUALA LUMPUR – It would be selfish and irresponsible of the Johor government to hold a snap state election while Malaysians are still reeling and recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, said Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh.
Responding to speculation on possible state polls in the coming months, the state PKR chief said the Barisan Nasional (BN)-led government should put off any plans for an early election in favour of holding it concurrently with the general election.
The 15th general election (GE) must be held no later than the middle of next year.
Syed Ibrahim said holding federal and state elections together would also allow all parties to make better and more informed preparations to face the polls.
“If it (state election) is held in the coming months, it will be too close before the GE. Why don’t we just wait for the GE then?” he told The Vibes today.
“If we hold it together with the GE, it will be very clear for all parties, especially with regard to expectations and targets. That would be the gentlemanly thing to do.
“Of course, in politics, people say it is not about being a gentleman. But at this point in time, when we are still facing the pandemic and people and businesses are only beginning to stabilise themselves, having another election is not right.”
Speculations of a snap election in Johor surfaced following the death of Bersatu’s Kempas assemblyman and former menteri besar Datuk Osman Sapian, leaving the state government with a slim one-seat majority over PH’s 27.
BN currently has 16 seats while Perikatan Nasional has 12, 11 of which belong to Bersatu with the remaining one held by PAS.
BN lynchpin Umno appears to be pushing for a snap election, citing instability, with party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi noting that an early election is not unusual, and vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin saying this is necessary considering the government’s fragile hold on the state.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad has also not ruled out the possibility of a snap election, saying the state is monitoring the situation and that the one-seat majority is something that needs to be looked into and assessed.
Syed Ibrahim, who is Ledang MP, said despite the slim majority, he sees no concrete reason for BN to dissolve the state assembly, especially as the opposition is committed to seeing the current term through.
The PKR man said hence, the basis for calling a snap election could be down to one of only two possible reasons – brewing tension among government parties or BN wanting to take advantage of the recent momentum on its side.
“It’s either there is infighting in the state government, essentially, between Umno and Bersatu, or BN feels now is the right time to call for polls after it won the Melaka and Sarawak elections.
“There is political fatigue; people are not in the mood to go back to vote. And this has proven to be to its (BN’s) advantage.”
Syed Ibrahim said if the intention is for BN and Umno to retain power and to have more elected assemblymen to dominate the state assembly, then this would not be a right reason to call for an election.
“To me, it must be for the benefit of the rakyat. If they insist on pushing for snap polls simply because of power, then this is nothing but a political move, rather than a democratic one.” – The Vibes, January 18, 2022
