Hamzah slams opposition for insisting on GE15 during pandemic

(FMT) – The opposition’s insistence that the government holds the general election while the Covid-19 situation has yet to subside could prove detrimental, said PPBM secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin.

“Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin himself has agreed to dissolve Parliament after the pandemic subsides.

“Yet, there are people who incite, saying that the current government is unfair and illegitimate,” he told Bernama after the Back-To-School Programme held at the Astaka Hall in Batu Kurau near here today.

Hamzah, who is the home minister, said the opposition seems to have forgotten that Parliament sessions are still on the list until December this year, and the government can call for a session within six months.

Earlier, Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub had called for Parliament to be reconvened so that the legitimacy of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government could be settled once and for all.

He said the ruling coalition should no longer use the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to delay the collapse of the government, which he argued was bound to happen.

Speaking at an online forum last night, he said the issues of the legitimacy of the PN government and the management of the Covid-19 crisis were two separate agendas and should not be associated.

Hamzah reiterated that the PN government will hold the 15th general election as soon as the country recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the immunisation rate or coverage will also be taken into account prior to holding the elections to prevent a fourth wave of infections.

“We will remain accountable to the people and hope that the pandemic eases and the immunisation is done before the elections are held.”

Hamzah said the King had also agreed to the implementation of the emergency to enable the government to deal with Covid-19, adding that he felt the people would continue to trust the prime minister to lead the country.

The campaigning for the Sept 26 Sabah state elections last year had been blamed for the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.