MUHYIDDIN Yassin had the green light from his party Bersatu to dissolve Parliament but was advised against the move by the National Security Council, which suggested a state of emergency instead, said several sources.

If the plan had proceeded, the prime minister would have dissolved Parliament any time right after Budget 2021 had been tabled, they added.

They said that Muhyiddin was given the mandate to call for fresh elections by Bersatu’s political bureau in a meeting just a few days after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim met the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on October 13.

This had come after Muhyiddin’s slim-majority Perikatan Nasional (PN) government had become increasingly shaky following Anwar’s revelation of having majority support in Dewan Rakyat, including from some Umno lawmakers who had agreed to switch their backing.

Anwar had also informed the Agong that he had enough support in Dewan Rakyat to replace Muhyiddin as prime minister in his meeting. He had also said that the PN government has fallen.

“We were ready for an election. The Bersatu political bureau agreed to allow Muhyiddin to meet the king and dissolve Parliament.

“However, when he brought the matter up in the NSC meeting the following week, he was advised to ask the king for an emergency declaration,” said a Bersatu political bureau member.

Another Bersatu leader confirmed that the party’s political bureau had met to discuss their plans just after Anwar had met the king.

“Yes, there was a meeting. And yes we did discuss dissolving Parliament. We gave the mandate to Muhyiddin,” said the second source who also declined to be named.

The sources told The Malaysian Insight that Muhyiddin had sought the advice from NSC on how an election can be held during the Covid-19 pandemic, which continued to threaten the nation.

“The NSC meeting was then briefed by director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah about the current Covid-19 situation on the ground.

“NSC was also told that the Election Commission was having a tough time to look for officers for the Batu Sapi by-election in Sabah early next month.

“The police also said that more than 10,000 of its personnel had been under quarantine and if there was an election, the police could not be prepared with its manpower,” said a source.

“Following the feedback, NSC discussed the emergency option and for any snap elections to only be held after the pandemic has been contained fully,” the source added.

The Malaysian Insight understands that the proposed emergency declaration was discussed at the NSC meeting on Wednesday, October 21, before it was presented to the cabinet for decision.

The cabinet then discussed the proposal in a special meeting on Friday, October 23.

Sources said the emergency option was agreed by all ministers, and was later presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the same evening.

“The emergency was not the will of the prime minister but the decision of the cabinet, which is provided for in the federal constitution,” said a source.

The Agong on October 25, after hearing the views of the Malay rulers, decided not to give consent to the application for the emergency declaration.

He felt the government had managed to deal with the Covid-19 crisis effectively and thought there was no need at the moment for an emergency.

The state of emergency would have allowed the government to postpone the Batu Sapi by-election as well as the impending Sarawak state elections.

It could have also suspended Parliament sittings, effectively protecting Muhyiddin against any attempts to defeat him in the House.

Bersatu ready since June

Meanwhile, a government source who was aware of the discussion said Muhyiddin and Bersatu were ready to leave it to the people to make a choice.

“If it was true that the government had lost the majority (following Anwar’s claims), who would then have the majority? No one.

“The best way was of course calling for an election again,” said the source.

A Bersatu source told The Malaysian Insight that the party machinery had been asked by the party leadership since June to prepare for the general election, which could be held before the end of this year.

Among the preparations included monitoring the people’s support for the government, the people’s sentiments on issues and leaders, as well as identifying potential candidates and examining the distribution of seats between political parties.

Dissolution was supposed to happen this month, he said.

At least two other Bersatu sources told The Malaysian Insight that Muhyiddin had been planning on a date this month to dissolve Parliament.

A senior source in the party said according to the original plan, Parliament should have been dissolved this week after the Budget 2021 had been tabled.

“According to the plan, the earliest the Parliament would be dissolved was on Monday (today), after the presentation of the budget,” he said.

Previously, Muhyiddin had alluded to holding a general election after the Sabah state election.

In an interview last week, Muhyiddin said the PN government was indeed hoping to get a new mandate from the people through elections.

He said a general election could be held if issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic and national economic recovery efforts could be resolved.

“If we can resolve these two things, I really hope we get a new mandate,” he said in an interview with Bernama and selected media last week.

The 14th Parliamentary term is scheduled to end on July 15, 2023. – November 9, 2020.