PUTRAJAYA must stop obsessing about calling general election (GE) this year and focus its efforts on preventing a recession from taking place, Lim Guan Eng said.

The DAP national chairman said the government’s preoccupation over the national polls has led to the cabinet’s poor performance.

This also means that bread-and-butter issues plaguing the people and the country’s economy has taken a back seat, Lim said.

“National economic interests dictate that the general election should be held next year and not this year,” Lim said in a statement.

“The government should stop its obsession with holding the general election this year but focus instead on doing its job to prevent the Malaysian economy from falling into a recession in 2023.

“Holding the 15th general election this year at the cost of allowing an economic recession next year is just not worth it.”

Malaysia’s inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, increased 3.4% year-on-year in June, led by costlier food, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said on July 22.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz has said that Malaysia’s inflation could reach “around 11%” if the country did not implement subsidies for essential items such as fuel.

Along with rising inflation, Malaysia is also facing a critical labour shortage across all industries, a depreciating currency and rising interest rates.

The former finance minister said instead of politicking, the government should be finding ways to solve problems faced by the public and that are hurting businesses.

“Yet the government, being self-absorbed with politicking, continues to express optimism that Malaysia can achieve the 2022 projected economic growth of up to 6.3%. Even the International Monetary Fund has lowered its growth target of Malaysia to at best 5.6% for 2022,” the Bagan MP said.

The ringgit slipped to its lowest value against the greenback in five years at RM4.40 in March.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been under pressure from his party, Umno, to hold the GE this year.

Critics say an election this year may benefit Umno leaders like Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Najib Razak – both of whom are facing multiple charges of corruption.

The calls for the national polls to be held in 2022 are also backed by Barisan National’s success at the Johor, Malacca and Sarawak elections, which the coalition believes will continue to the GE if it was held now.

Ismail, however, has been reluctant to do so, citing rising inflation and other economic problems as more pressing issues that needed attention first.

Now, with Perikatan Nasional (PN) threatening to quit Ismail’s cabinet, this could lead to snap polls as he will no longer enjoy majority support.

PN is reported to be upset with the prime minister following his decision to call off a meeting at the last minute.

The meeting was to have discussed PN’s unhappiness with the prime minister in the execution of the terms of an agreement of political cooperation between them, including on the appointment of a deputy prime minister from Bersatu. – August 7, 2022.