BALIK PULAU – Following Barisan Nasional’s (BN) landslide win in the recent Johor election, Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof is taking a neutral stance, telling the media that the general election, which is said to be taking place this year, should be put on the back burner instead.
“What is important, no matter which party we are from, is to prioritise the needs of the country and the people above our interests.
“We are dealing with a lot now; we have a health crisis, an economic crisis and a worldwide crisis.
“Instead of talking about the general election, I think we all have to put our focus on what needs to be done, and think of measures and strategies that can be implemented so that the economic position of the country can improve,” he said during the FT Roadpedia Utara 2.0 event today.
Fadillah said that once the welfare of the people and the economy is taken care of, then politicians can muster their strength for the election.
However, he stressed that this is only his personal opinion, and the call for a general election rests at the discretion of the prime minister and the approval of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu’s stance is unlike the confident suggestions from Umno, both of whom are part of the BN coalition.
Since BN’s big win, political analysts expect influential ranks within Umno – which leads the BN coalition – to demand that a general election be held soon.
Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has also dismissed calls to extend the memorandum of understanding (MoU) or have a second MoU by DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke recently, who said that it was not the right time to hold a general election due to high Covid-19 infection numbers. – The Vibes, March 20, 2022
