KOTA KINABALU – A fresh mandate must be sought once the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pakatan Harapan (PH) expires on July 31 to end Malaysia’s political fragility, said Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
He observed that the longer the present stand-in federal government stays, the stronger the possibility that a political crisis may happen again.
“During this 14th general election term alone, we have seen three transitions of the federal government. This is not good for the economy and the people.
“This is why Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) is seeking a fresh mandate so a stronger, solid and powerful government can be voted in, and this will stabilize the economic situation in Malaysia,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Sabah Umno breaking fast event here tonight.
The Kinabatangan MP explained that the push for a fresh mandate is not a power grab by Umno and BN, but is aimed at helping restore investor confidence towards the country, which is at one of the lowest points in Malaysian history.
Bung explained that investors think Malaysia is fragile and a political crisis is triggered every time support is pulled away from the ruling government.
Since the Sheraton Move, when BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN) took Putrajaya away from the then Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, multiple states have had to call for snap elections.
This includes Sabah itself, and later Johor and Melaka.
Perak saw a change of leadership within the BN-PN coalition when Umno rep Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad took the menteri besar post from Bersatu leader Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu.
At the federal level, current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob succeeded ousted former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“Furthermore, this government now does not have the people’s mandate and the election must be held this year.
“There’s nothing extraordinary calling for election before the term ends next year in May 2023. But we must restore the confidence of the investors and stabilise the country’s situation,” he said.
Bung also said that seat negotiations will be held to avoid clashes with electoral partner Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) if the election is held early.
He noticed a worrying trend where political parties tend to claim federal seats before an election has been called.
“If clashes do happen, the position of the government would still be fragile. So, we want to avoid this.
“I hope all of us would have the strength to resolve the seat distributions. I know right now there are already clashes with parties claiming the seats. But I will push forward Umno’s suggestion and see how it goes,” he said. – The Vibes, April 16, 2022
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