THE question of whether or not to hold early state polls was irrelevant now as the term was ending in just a few months, Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali said today.

He was responding to a suggestion that Selangor hold state elections early to mitigate the effects of redelineation.

The Selangor PH president said such as a move would earn the people’s wrath as it would incur high costs.

“I think this issue is no longer relevant because the term is ending in a few months. The cost will also be higher and it’s the people’s money,” he said at Masjid Zakaria in Gombak today.

Azmin said the suggestion might have been helpful if it had been raised much earlier.

“If this suggestion was made a year ago maybe it could have been discussed.

“But in the current situation where the term is ending, I don’t think it is wise to hold the state elections earlier,” he said.

The PKR deputy president said his main focus now was to improve services for the people and resolve their issues.

Political analysts have suggested that early state elections is one way the Pakatan Harapan Selangor government can counter the advantages that Barisan Nasional would derive from a proposed delineation of electoral boundaries.

Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayob said early polls might be meaningful if it was held two years ago.

“(If early polls) were called two years ago, that would mean that we are sending a message to the people.

“But to do it now, with the general election just a few months away, we might send a confused message to the people,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

In the last election, the then Pakatan Rakyat won 44 seats, of which 15 seats were won by PAS which had since left the coalition but remains in the Selangor government.

PAS’ splinter party Amanah currently holds two seats in Selangor while DAP holds 14 and PKR 13.

PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli said it would be a waste of resources to hold early state elections, saying he was confident that Pakatan Harapan would retain the state.

DAP had tried to push for early elections in Selangor in 2016 but the proposal was shot down by Azmin. – January 12, 2018.