Pakatan admits disadvantage but prepared for polls
By Syed Jaymal Zahiid, Free Malaysia Today
KEPALA BATAS: The Pakatan Rakyat national leadership conceded today that its rival Barisan Nasional has the upper hand should snap polls be held any time soon but claimed it was prepared nevertheless. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said they were very much aware of the possibility that early elections was in the pipeline.
This, he said, was a sinister attempt by Barisan Nasional to throw the fledgling pact, inferior next to the ruling coalition’s financial might, off balance by keeping them guessing on the election date.
“There will be no level playing field,” he told a press conference after delivering his opening speech at Pakatan’s second national convention here.
The power to call for election lies solely in the hand of the prime minister. Although the King’s consent must first be attained, this procedure is merely a formality, a “cosmetic” exercise as described by observers.
This was criticised by Hadi who said that the process was undemocratic and gave the ruling coalition a more favourable position.
Barisan Nasional’s control over the mainstream media will also reinforce their advantageous position, he said, adding that he expected negative reporting on the convention on the part of the mainstream media.
“The (mainstream) media will not report fairly on us. We plead that they do so on this convention which is held for the good of the voters,” he said.
Pakatan will not dissolve state assemblies?
Speculation is rife that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will be holding early elections somewhere in the first quarter of next year. There’s also the popular assumption that Najib will only call for a Parliamentary and not state elections.
