Agreeing with Umno MP, PAS moots snap polls for change of guard

(Malay Mail On,ine) – PAS urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today to dissolve Parliament to pave the way for snap polls, borrowing a suggestion by Umno MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, although the lawmaker had mooted the idea as a way to keep his party in power.

PAS, however, said the dissolution was necessary as the decision to select the country’s leader is not Umno’s choice alone but that of all Malaysians.

“It is time for the people to be given a chance to make a choice to give the mandate to lead this country either to Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat,” PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar said in a statement.

“The problem the country is facing now is not just a tiff between Najib and Tun Dr Mahathir [Mohamad] but is a crisis of public trust to the government and its leadership as a whole. It is not too late for Malaysia to return to its original track.”

Dr Mahathir has openly said that he will continue to push for Najib’s resignation citing dissatisfaction with the slew of scandals plaguing the current administration, chiefly on the massive RM42 billion debt amassed by state investment arm 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Dr Mahathir’s disapproval and continued attack on the Abdullah administration was said to have forced the resignation of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Following that, Najib’s deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that Dr Mahathir will never be alone in his efforts to speak the truth and to combat injustice at any level.

In an apparent jibe aimed at his harshest critic Dr Mahathir, Najib insisted yesterday he is not “alone” as many international bodies and institutions have affirmed their belief in Malaysia’s growth and success under his leadership.