Malaysia may not call for a general election that soon says PM

MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim decided not to call for snap general elections, saying his government’s priority at present is to fulfil its responsibilities rather than focus on elections.

He was responding to questions about whether he plans to dissolve the parliament to pave the way for the 16th General Election (GE16), following the dissolution of the Johor state assembly on Monday.

“That is their decision. We (the government) have our priorities. We are focused on our work (governing the country),” he said in a brief statement at the Conference at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.

Critics and opponents are, however, hitting back at Anwar, calling his decision not to call for a snap general election a U-turn.

In May, Anwar said he would meet up with his coalition partners to discuss the possibility of calling for an election if tensions within the unity government worsened.

He said this after the Johor Menteri Besar, Onn Hafiz Ghazi, announced that his party, United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), would contest all the seats in the Johor state elections.

This meant that UMNO would dump Anwar’s party in the elections in Johor.

After the Johor shock, tensions rose in Anwar’s party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), following the resignation of two former ministers as party MPs, followed by their quitting Anwar’s party.

While the multiple shockwaves were still being felt across the political landscape, the two MPs immediately announced they had joined another party as its top leaders.

“If this approach (Umno going solo in Johor) continues to strain and fracture relations within the government, then we may have to consider holding a general election nationwide,” he was quoted as saying.

On Monday, the Menteri Besar of Johor announced the dissolution of the Johor state assembly, paving the way for elections in the state.

While many expected Anwar to also call for a nationwide election with the dissolution of the Parliament, instead, he said the government’s priority at present is to fulfil its responsibilities rather than focus on elections.

Meanwhile, Johor Barisan Nasional’s (BN) decision to contest all 56 state seats led to Johor Pakatan Harapan (PH) declaring it would do the same.

The opposition Perikatan Nasional also said it will contest all seats in Johor, though the main ally in the coalition, the Islamists Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), said it may consider working with UMNO-BN in a strategic move in the Johor elections.

In the 2022 state election, BN secured a commanding victory, winning 40 of the 56 seats.

PH holds 12 seats, PN three, and Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) one.