GE15 NOT ANYTIME SOON, SAYS REDZUAN
It will be held only after at least 80 per cent of the people are vaccinated, emphasises minister
DON’T hold your breath for the 15th General Election (GE15) to be held anytime soon. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Special Functions) Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Mohd Yusof said this was because the general election would be held only after at least 80 per cent of the people have received vaccines under the National Covid19 Immunisation Programme (NIP).
He said the need to vaccinate the people was, at the moment, more important and that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration was more concerned with human lives than the need to hold a general election.
He explained that the government projects between 70 and 80 per cent of the population will be inoculated by February or March next year.
Redzuan said only after the inoculation target was reached should GE15 be considered, with the power to dissolve Parliament resting with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al -Mustafa Billah Shah.
“In the case of the NIP, we cannot compromise it with (by holding) GE15 because this concerns human lives while GE15 is a political matter. Therefore, GE15 will not be held as long as the NIP has not reached an inoculation rate of between 70 and 80 per cent.
“It also depends on the readiness of the Election Commission (EC) to organise it,” he said.
The minister was speaking to reporters after opening the Pak Wan Prihatin Tour programme for the Durian Tunggal state constituency in Kampung Pantai Belimbing, here yesterday.
Redzuan also presented food donations to community members and visited the sick in several villages. Also present was the Alor Gajah Pas commissioner Shabudin Senin.
Redzuan, who is also Alor Gajah member of parliament, was commenting on remarks by Umno election director Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman that ministers from Barisan Nasional component members would resign by August if Parliament was not dissolved by then.
Redzuan said that based on Tajuddin’s claim that even if all Umno ministers resigned, the PN government would continue to stand strong as it is a coalition of parties that emphasises consensus and provides the best service to the people.
The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) supreme council member said the party’s political bureau was preparing plans to face Umno in all seats likely to be contested by Bersatu in GE15.
“Umno has announced that it will contest all the seats it had contested in GE14 and we are ready to face this,” Redzuan said.
To face GE15, he added that Bersatu would strengthen cooperation with Pas and other affiliated parties in PN, in line with the concept of unity championed by it.