PRIME Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob should no longer prolong the suspense surrounding the next general election and must now explicitly state its date, DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng said today. 

The Bagan MP said Ismail remaining tight-lipped about the polls is not only disrupting government operations, but also the investment climate in the country.

“Every day he delays announcing the election date, he appears weaker and weaker. 

“Businesses hate uncertainty and would postpone investment decisions until there is certainty, clarity and consistency in government policy.

“All this is not possible with a government now in election mode, obsessed with the latest drama of whether Ismail will be dissolving parliament tomorrow when he has his weekly audience with the king,” the former finance minister said in a statement today. 

Yesterday, Ismail said he had been granted an audience with the Agong for tomorrow. He, however, refused to confirm whether he would present a date for the dissolution of parliament. 

This came after Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said the party agreed for the polls to be held this year, and that the prime minister will present the proposed date of the dissolution of parliament to the king in line with Article 40(1) of the Federal Constitution. 

If parliament is not dissolved by tomorrow, Lim urged Ismail to explicitly state the exact date.

Lim, a former Penang chief minister, said in the “best interest” of the nation, it would be politically suitable to call for an election next year. 

“If parliament is dissolved tomorrow despite being in the middle of the monsoon season and severe floods, then it is clear that Ismail is willing to sacrifice those struggling to save lives and property during the election campaign period,” he said. 

“To date, there has been no combined contingency flood and general election plan put forward by the government. This is a purely irresponsible political decision and a power play to win the elections at all cost, even at the price of lost lives and property to floods. 

“The opposition has advised Ismail that it is better to make Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi angry than incur the wrath of mother nature,” he said. 

Lim also reminded Ismail that his powers as prime minister will vanish immediately when parliament is dissolved. 

“The power vested in him will then be transferred quickly to Zahid, who holds the political fate of every potential Umno election candidate in his hands,” he said. 

Yesterday, Zahid, who is Bagan Datuk MP, reiterated his calls for the polls to be held this year, but insisted it should be held before the flood season. – October 5, 2022.