Malaysia PM Anwar open to considering early GE, with DPM Zahid latest to call for snap polls

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that he is open to considering calls for a general election to be held early, amid appeals from the opposition and even his deputy prime minister in the unity government.But Anwar stressed that any decision would only be made after careful consideration before it is presented to Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar for the dissolution of parliament."I can consider those suggestions. But the decision will be made by me after I have thought about it. I will then present it to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong," he was quoted as saying by local news outlet the New Straits Times (NST) on Friday (Sep 4).Anwar was responding to calls from Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi – who hails from the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition – as well as from Abdul Hadi Awang, the president of the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) for snap polls to be held.

PAS is a component party of the opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN), which had worked with BN in the recent Negeri Sembilan state election. PAS had also told its supporters to vote for BN in the Johor state election that was held in July.Malaysia’s 16th general election (GE16) must be held by February 2028.Anwar’s unity government is made up of his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, BN, as well as Borneo-based coalitions. Even though it is in the unity government, BN had contested in the Johor state election on its own and formed an alliance with PN during the Negeri Sembilan state election. Four Democratic Action Party (DAP) assemblymen from PH also withdrew their support for the Melaka state government, which is headed by a BN chief minister. Following the Negeri Sembilan state election, leaders from BN and PN said that talks would soon begin for an electoral pact in Melaka, where an election must be held by February next year. Even as he weighs the option for an early general election, Anwar on Friday said that his administration’s immediate focus is on the economy, the people’s welfare as well as efforts to rid the country of corruption and abuse of power."For me, these are the important focuses. Given the current situation, the government remains stable, and we should concentrate on these matters," he reportedly said.He stressed that those entrusted with public responsibilities and who had clean records should not fear investigations by enforcement agencies, including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, police and Inland Revenue Board.