ANY decision to dissolve parliament to pave the way for a general election must take into account the views of cabinet members, Hamzah Zainudin said.

The Bersatu secretary-general said Umno had not heeded the provision in the Federal Constitution in calling for parliament to be dissolved and polls to be held soon.

He said although Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob had the power to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the matter, he had to seek the cabinet members’ views first before going to the palace.

“What is important is that the prime minister can advise the king to dissolve parliament after discussing the matter in the cabinet,” he was quoted as saying in news reports today.

“If the government now is good, it should be allowed to see out its term.”

On Friday, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said Ismail will present a proposed date for the dissolution of parliament to the king in accordance with article 40(1) of the Federal Constitution.

Hamzah, who is also home minister, said the present government is not led by any dominant party and any decision to dissolve parliament must be done after consulting all the parties in the government.

“People say there’s no need (for cabinet discussions) as it wasn’t done on previous occasions. But that was when Barisan Nasional was dominant and the only party in government. Now, there are many different parties in government,” he was quoted by Malay language daily Sinar Harian as saying.

“There are those who say it’s okay because the prime minister is powerful enough to fire everyone for him to make this decision. Never mind, he can fire the ministers who are not from his party. But this will cost him the majority.”

Ismail leads a fragile alliance of three major coalitions that hold only 114 seats among 220 lawmakers, giving him only a four-seat majority. – October 2, 2022.