PN ministers turn to Agong to oppose early GE moves

Cabinet members from Bersatu and PAS have penned a letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to voice their disagreement to calls by Umno leaders for the dissolution of Parliament to pave the way for the next general election this year.

It is understood that all 12 ministers from both parties, which are part of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, signed the Oct 3 letter to Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, in a sign that the Cabinet is divided over any move to dissolve Parliament.

The letter, received by the palace yesterday, cited among others the Malaysian Meteorological Department's (MetMalaysia) forecast of heavy rain and floods due to a monsoon transition in the weeks ahead, which could coincide with the general election season leading up to polling day if Parliament is dissolved in the near future.

It also called for a focus on economic recovery following more than two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There has been intense speculation that Ismail Sabri Yaakob could advise the Agong to dissolve the Parliament in the days to come, as the prime minister comes under growing pressure from a faction of Umno leaders aligned with party chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Zahid, together with his deputy Mohamad Hasan and jailed former leader Najib Razak, have been the biggest proponents for polls to be held this year.

The 15th general election is due around the middle of next year.

PN and opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) have strongly protested any move to call for polls, saying the focus should be on the economy as it recovers from the pandemic, as well as preparations for the annual floods, which last year claimed scores of lives and left billions of ringgit in property losses.

Yesterday, PH announced that Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan – the three states under its control – would not dissolve their state assemblies in tandem with the dissolution of Parliament, saying elections at the state level would only be called next year so that authorities could prioritise flood preparations.

Last week, MetMalaysia warned of heavy rain and thunderstorms through to November, as the country moves through the monsoon transition phase following the end of the southwest monsoon period. 

"During the monsoon transition phase, the country will experience weak winds from all directions, conducive to thunderstorms that usually bring heavy rain and strong winds within a short period of time.

"Such incidents occur mainly in the evening and early night in most areas of states on the west coast, the interior of the peninsula, west Sabah and central Sarawak," it said, adding that these weather conditions could cause flash floods and damage to unsound structures.