Politicians Need To Get Their Priorities Right
Salleh Said
1. It is now 140 days since Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was sworn in as Malaysia’s 8th Prime Minister. A new government is normally graded on its first 100 days in office, and it is now longer than that, but still the “chaos” has not ended. As far as the rakyat is concerned, though, Muhyiddin is performing relatively well, which is what matters.
2. Looking at the campaigning that is going on all over the country, even up to last night, the impression we get is that Parliament and the State Assemblies have been dissolved and that GE15 is just around the corner.
3. The truth is no one knows when the next general election is going to be held, as it is the sole prerogative of the Prime Minister to request the consent of DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong for Parliament to be dissolved to make way for a fresh general election.
4. And the same goes for the states where the Chief Minister/Menteri Besar needs to request the consent of the Monarch/Governor to dissolve the State Assemblies. If not, by law, then the State Assemblies, just like Parliament, serve their full five-year term. And in this case, GE15 need not be held until July-August 2023.
5. That is still a long way away, three years to be precise. So why are politicians and political parties on “election mode”, as if GE15 is going to be held next month rather than three years from now? Many are speculating that GE15 may be held before the end of this year. But that is just a guessing game or even wishful thinking.
