Najib, Muhyiddin hint at snap polls
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider
Umno appears to be ramping up preparations for snap polls, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announcing today that he will embark on a nationwide tour to meet grassroots members next year.
The Umno president, together with his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, will embark on the state-by-state tour beginning early next year to gauge public support for the party.
They will also meet with Umno division leaders and all 20,243 branch leaders.
Muhyiddin had earlier hinted at the possibility of snap polls being called in “a few months” in his winding-up speech at the Umno general assembly today.
“I don’t know when the prime minister will call for the next general election, but we all know that there are only a few months left,” he said.
Playing his cards close to his chest, Najib however refused to say if the exercise was aimed at laying the ground for an early general election, which some analysts say could take place in the first half of next year.
“Though they can interpret in so many ways, it is important for us to meet the people,” he told reporters following his speech here earlier this evening.
“As I said, it can be interpreted in so many ways but I have my sequence of doing things,” he said, when the question was repeated.
Najib explained that he was not able to go to the ground last year as the global economic crisis had forced him to concentrate on government work.
“As our economic recovery appears to be solid and the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP) has been formulated in detail… all our plans are ready to take off now,” he said.
