JOHOR BARU – Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s push for a general election after July seems to confirm insider talk of intense lobbying for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to dissolve Parliament.
Buoyed by the decisive win in Melaka, Umno is equally confident of taking Johor as the southern state heads to the polls tomorrow.
Once Umno regains its stronghold, it is learnt that party grassroots and warlords will demand for party vice-president Ismail Sabri to call for a general election.
In a press conference after a ceramah here, Zahid cited “feel-good factors” are on Barisan Nasional’s (BN) side and opportunity is ripe for a general election after July.
He said since the factors are favourable for BN, there should be a new federal mandate to return stability to the country.
He added that the opposition should not be given the chance to get its act together and that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the federal government and Pakatan Harapan ends in July.
He added that the MoU also points to holding an election after that.
Meanwhile, the opposition narrative has been about warning voters of a general election should BN take Johor.
Zahid, however, claimed this is a pivot by the opposition.
“Why are they changing their stance, requesting an election take place at the end of 2023?
“This means they have internal problems, lack confidence, and they feel that the rakyat is pushing them away.
“Don’t give them ample time to fix their problems and rearrange their frontline.”
The Umno president went on to say that Malaysian voters who had different political leanings now support BN.
Just a week ago Zahid defended his predecessor Datuk Seri Najib Razak, saying that the latter’s “Bossku aura” remained strong despite no longer being a prime minister.
He added that because of Najib’s influential and powerful presence, he is confident that Umno will gain a similar victory in the upcoming Johor polls as the ones that had been garnered in Melaka.
BN lynchpin Umno also welcomed several defectors to its fold, such as former Mersing Bersatu chief Laili Yusof and former Tebrau Bersatu chief Mazlan Bujang, who on January 27 left Bersatu to become a BN-friendly independent candidate. – The Vibes, March 11, 2022
