Snap polls in the offing?

(The New Sarawak) – With the current Parliament’s term barely reaching the halfway mark, there’s now speculations of snap polls, fuelled by the backroom horse-trading and cryptic messages put out by key political players.

Umno president Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi this morning put up a post on Facebook where he said “we are ready for the 15th general election. Are you with us?”.

This was after he received an entourage from his predecessor and ex-PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak who paid a visit to Zahid’s home last night.

Soon after, former Education Minister Maszlee Malik put up a tweet: “Execute order 130… on 613…”.

Netizens took it as a reference that the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad bloc in Parliament now has 130 lawmakers on its side – more than the minimum 112 to form a government, and that important political developments would take place on June 13.

The country’s politics – already in the flux since Tan Sri Muhyiddin was sworn in as PM on March 1 – became even more uncertain last week when news emerged that two Bersatu lawmakers would abandon ship, leaving the PM without Parliamentary majority.

One of the MPs, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Redzuan Md Yusof, has since denied the rumour, but the other lawmaker, Datuk Shahruddin Md Salleh yesterday announced his willingness to quit as deputy works minister to support Pakatan Harapan.

He also questioned Bersatu’s decision to revoke the membership of five of the party’s lawmakers, including Dr Mahathir’s.

Since he engineered an internal revolt by joining forces with Umno and PAS, Muhyiddin’s hold on power has been precarious. Going by the seating arrangement during the May 18 Parliament’s sitting, analysts believe he only had an advantage of two to three seats.

Some Barisan Nasional and PAS leaders have been piling up pressure for dissolution of Parliament to resolve the political impasse.

The last general election was held on May 9, 2018 where Pakatan Harapan ended Barisan Nasional’s 61-year rule since Independence. The current term expires only in 2023.

If a snap poll is held, there’s a possibility that the Sarawak election could be held concurrently as the state legislature’s term expires next year.