As economic crisis hits, election to be delayed – Dzulkefly
(Harakah Daily) – Prime Minister Najib Razak will delay the 13th general election due to current global economic turmoil, according to PAS’s Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
“I find it hard to accept that Najib will be bold enough to hold snap elections in September. The global demand will shrink and the national growth will also be affected as a result. So, I am confident that prime minister will not call for general election this year,” he said.
The Kuala Selangor member of parliament, who heads the party’s Research Centre, said the economic crisis would soon hit Malaysian shores forcing Najib to delay polls, which had been widely expected to be called this year.
Reacting to some RM91 billion wiped off from Bursa Malaysia over the past eight days, Dzulkefly (pic) said the economy was at its critical point in Europe and the United Sates, and said the recent riots in Britain was a symptom of economic pressures taking toll on the society.
Dzulkefly reminded Najib that his widely expected ‘election budget’ to be tabled this October could not afford to be ‘lavish’.
Referring to the multi-billion Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project, Dzulkefly said it could only take off next year due to economic uncertainties.
“Prime Minister will only manage to call an election if this project can move but with the crisis, it will be affected,” added Dzulkefly, who said that unlike now, the higher oil price two years ago had allowed the government to spend big.
Added to this is the fact that inflation reached over 4 percent with the Consumer Price Index in June showing it had breached 3.5 percent.
“The subsidies rationalisation programme in basic necessities such as fuel, diesel and gas is not very helpful either to Najib in winning public support, while the monopoly and market domination continue through permits allocated to certain cronies,” stressed Dzulkefly.
