[UPDATED] What are you waiting for? Zahid prompts cabinet to hasten GE15

KUALA LUMPUR – In his strongest message to Umno leaders in the cabinet yet, party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has called for the 15th general election (GE) to be expedited, questioning why there is a delay in dissolving Parliament.

Umno does not wish to meddle with matters pertaining to the dissolution of Parliament, he said, as it is up to the cabinet and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob would have to seek the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s assent on the matter.

However, he said Umno, as a responsible party, has the power to set its own direction.

“What are you waiting for, when the mood during by-elections and state elections are on our side?

“Like what Tok Mat (Datuk Mohamad Hasan) said, buat apa nak tunggu lama-lama? Takut anak dara dicuri orang (why wait so long? We fear that the ‘girl’ would be stolen by others),” he said during his policy speech at the party’s general assembly today.

Meanwhile, Zahid has dismissed calls to hold party polls soon, saying that the Umno election must be held before December 29, and 180 divisions agreed it should be held after the general election.

The Bagan Datuk MP had also given his vice-president Ismail Sabri a “wake-up call” and urged him to think twice before renewing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the opposition.

This is because, Zahid said, the opposition only agreed to the MoU because it has ulterior motives, among which is to “kill” the party.

“They have never stopped trying to destroy us. I believe they accept us because they know that’s the way they can kill us.

“They never loved us! Read the constitution of each of our opposing parties. Be aware! You are sleeping with your enemies.

“They keep daggers in our blankets. Do we want to renew the MoU?” 

He then said that he would “leave it to the wisdom of the prime minister” to decide on this matter.

Based on the historic MoU on political transformation and stability inked between the Ismail Sabri’s administration and Pakatan Harapan in September, it stipulates that Parliament will not be dissolved before July 31 this year.

Last week, DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke Siew Fook had suggested that the government and the opposition once again sit down to discuss implementing a second MoU and not hold a general election in the near future.

When debating the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s speech in the Dewan Rakyat, Loke (Seremban-PH) said this was not the right time to hold an election due to the high number of Covid-19 infections nationwide.

On Wednesday, Umno deputy president Datuk Mohamad Hasan had called for the GE to be held soon, questioning how long must the government depend on the confidence and supply agreement and MoU to manage the stability of the country.

Meanwhile, yesterday, Umno Puteri chief Datuk Zahida Zarik Khan had urged the party’s leadership to not entertain DAP leaders’ call to extend the MoU to delay the general election. – The Vibes, March 18, 2022