KUALA LUMPUR – Although the exact date for the 15th general election (GE15) still remains a mystery, Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir believes that it is best to call for the polls this year.
Speaking during The Vibes’ “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” podcast session earlier this week, the former Perak menteri besar said that a good guess based on previous election trends points towards the end of this year.
“I hope it will be held this year. The question (of the exact date) must be posed to Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob).
“But of course, we have an expected (date), especially if you look at the time that is left, which is only 11 months at most (till the end of the term).
“Actually, if you look at the previous election trends, you can guess that it might be held this year, maybe at the end of the year.
“So right now, we can only guess. The important thing is, we are prepared,” said Zambry in his discussion with PETRA News chief executive officer Datuk Zainul Arifin Mohammed Isa, PETRA News managing editor Terence Fernandez and PETRA News executive director Datuk Ahirudin Attan.
He also stressed that he has no prerogative to reveal the election date but said that BN is ready to face GE15.
Factionalism? No such thing
Zambry also denied that there are two factions in Umno with differing views regarding the best time for the country to head to the ballot boxes.
He explained that people should not describe it as factionalism as it is merely two groups – one from the government and the other from the party, seeing that this is the first time in Umno’s history that the party president is not holding the prime minister’s post.
“The party is not saying that there is a break within our ranks. It is more accurate to say that this is a new form of cooperation where we are creating a new working environment,” he said.
Therefore, Umno’s Supreme Council in its previous two meetings had decided to form a committee to coordinate between the government and the party.
The coordination committee, which he is a part of, has been working hard to foster better understanding and cooperation between leaders serving in the government and those without government positions in the party.
“We need to learn how to work together, understand each other better because before this, many senior party leaders were in the cabinet. This time, it’s very different.
“This is the reason why it was decided to create this coordination committee where I was appointed together with Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Datuk Seri Razali Ibrahim, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, Tan Sri Noh Omar, Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican and Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad,” he said. – The Vibes, July 2, 2022
