Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Monday dissolved the parliament, paving the way for snap general elections to be held in early November.
“Yesterday I met the king ... and I sought his permission to dissolve the parliament. And the king agreed to my request to dissolve parliament today,” Ismail announced during a televised address following his audience with Sultan Abdullah. He noted that the move was “in line with” Article 40(2)(b) and Article 55(2) of the Federal Constitution, as per which, the Parliament had been dissolved on October 10, 2022.
Accordingly, the nation will have to conduct fresh elections within 60 days. To this end, the country’s Election Commission will meet within the week to announce a date for the election.
It's good that Anti-Hopping Law is passed, but we need at least another 5 sets of “traffic rules”
— Liew Chin Tong (@LiewChinTong) October 8, 2022
1. Limit PM's tenure to 10 years
2. Political funding act
3. Legislate constituency development funds
4. A fixed term parliament
5. Separate the roles of AG and public prosecutor
Ismail remarked that the dissolution paves the way for “the mandate” to “be returned to the people.” “The people’s mandate is a powerful antidote” to create a firm and stable government, he declared.
Although the country’s 15th general election (GE15) was not due until September 2023, the PM was forced to take this premature decision in the face of intense pressure from within his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party to dissolve parliament and secure a strong mandate in early elections, as it believes it has a leg up on a fragmented opposition.
UMNO, the biggest party in the ruling coalition, had been at loggerheads with its allies and is aiming to secure a victory on its own in the snap polls. Commenting on the matter, UMNO secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said that the coalition’s biggest party had lost the support of its allies in the government, which forced the leadership to take the drastic decision.
From then on, Zahid’s sole aim is to destroy all govts that are not UMNO-dominated. He wants to restore UMNO’s one-party state & delete the collective history & societal gains from GE14.
— Liew Chin Tong (@LiewChinTong) October 6, 2022
If UMNO alone can win a majority, Zahid will be PM & Msia will enter a dark period.
“UMNO’s position is that a dissolution of Parliament is the best step (forward) since representatives from the parties that form the government no longer show solidarity with the prime minister in his administration,” he said during a press conference at the party’s headquarters.
“They have even declared UMNO and Barisan Nasional as their enemies, showing a loss of trust and respect for Umno in leading the country,” he added.
Opposition parties have slammed UMNO for the decision, accusing it of disrespecting the wishes of the people. Klang MP Charles Santiago claimed the move was orchestrated by the party’s “court cluster” against the wishes of the people. Fee Malaysia Today (FMT) describes “court clusters” as the group of UMNO leaders who are either currently facing trial or have been convicted on charges such as “criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering.”
“What’s sad is that the prime minister has succumbed to it (dissolving Parliament) and not stood up for the interest of all Malaysians,” Santiago told FMT. He further alleged that UMNO leaders were in favour of an early election in order to “stay out of jail.
In fact, UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is currently on trial for graft, while former PM Najib Razak was recently handed a 12-year sentence in the 1MDB corruption scandal.
Meanwhile, the country’s monarch, Sultan Abdullah, said he had “no choice” but to give his assent for the dissolution due to “disappointing” recent political developments.
1. Role of caretaker govt
— Liew Chin Tong (@LiewChinTong) October 10, 2022
Business of the fed govt should enter a caretaker mode in which no policy and financial decisions of consequence should be made until after the next govt is formed after GE.
“His Majesty expresses disappointment at the recent political developments and His Majesty has no choice but to consent to the prime minister's request for the mandate to be returned to the people in order for a stable government to be elected. Therefore, His Majesty expresses hope that the Election Commission will conduct the 15th General Election at the earliest after taking account of the southwest monsoon, which is expected to begin in mid-November,” read a statement issued by the Comptroller of the Royal Household, Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin.
UMNO’s rushed decision may face public opposition, as the monsoon season is expected to cause havoc to the voting. Last year’s monsoon killed more than 50 people and displaced thousands. This year, too, heavy rains and thunderstorms have already flooded some parts of the country.
Ismail has also called for state assemblies to be dissolved in order to simultaneously hold state elections. Three UMNO-run states have acceded to his request but six other states have said they will only hold elections next year.
Malaysia has been plagued with severe political instability in recent years, witnessing three administration changes since 2018.
Now-former PM Mahathir, in power from May 2018 to March 2020, won the 2018 general election with his Pakatan Harapan coalition, thereby defeating UMNO for the first time since Malaysia gained independence from Great Britain in 1957. However, he was forced to resign after fractures within the coalition widened, allowing UMNO to come back to power with Muhyiddin Yassin, in power from March 2020 to August 2021, at the helm.
However, Muhyiddin, too, was forced to resign after a tumultuous 17 months in office after allied parties withdrew their support.
Likewise, Mahathir’s predecessor Najib Razak’s time in office is viewed as an “era plagued with scandal and a strengthening of central power.” Najib repealed controversial laws to silence his political opponents and please the ethnic Malay-Muslim majority, who formed his political party’s largest support base. He was also accused of vast mismanagement of the state investment fund and was ultimately ousted from power over a corruption scandal.