Better to have election now than later, says former MP
KENINGAU: It would be much the better if the election is held tomorrow, said former Pensiangan member of parliament Datuk Dr Bernard Maraat.
He said once the election is over with the winning party taking over the helm and reigning supreme, then it will mark the end of squabbling, rumour mongering, back biting and bickering.
“The people can then go about their errands and take the country to another level,” he told The Borneo Post here.
Bernard was asked for his response to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s hint that the next general election would likely be held within days after the Chinese New Year next year.
Bernard said Barisan Nasional (BN) would have no problem if the 14th general election (GE14) is held tomorrow.
“I believe they (BN) are ready with all their resources in place. However, the only setback will be the many unexplained issues, like the 1MDB scandal, GST, the RCI report and the increasing cost of living.
“The BN election machinery is in place and I strongly believe, if the election is held earlier it would be much better. Otherwise, the opposition will consolidate their strength, body, soul and mind to be more well prepared,” he said.
Bernard, who is also Central Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) assistant information chief, noted that the opposition is well prepared for the election. The only hurdle now is the registration of Harapan.
According to him, the advantage of having early election is that voters in many rural seats are still not very much aware of the 1MDB problems and the multibillion debt fiasco and the impact of the declining ringgit situation. They will however vote if given some handouts.
“For Sabah, the recent detention of Parti Warisan Sabah leaders has created some doubts in their perception of the opposition and there will not be enough time for the opposition to explain and convince them if the election is held now.
“If held later, the people would have suffered more and will become vindictive and be more in favour of the opposition,” he said.
Sabah Democratic Action Party (DAP) secretary Chan Foong Hin said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had missed the best time to announce the GE14.
Chan said if Najib had announced the poll date when the opposition lost in the two recent by-elections in Sarawak, it would ensure the BN would continue to govern the country.
However, it has given the opposition time to reintegrate and the month of July 2017 could be said for the opposition to reform and restructure in order to move out from low ebb, said Chan who is also the Sri Tanjung assemblyman.
He said it had now passed the stage of ‘guessing when the election will be held’ but enter into the stage of ‘getting ready for general election’ period.
“When will the election be is no longer a hot topic in political circles since the Budget 2018 has been presented.
“Everyone knows the GE14 will be held after Chinese New Year 2018, probably in March or April. All prospective candidates of BN are focused on preparing for the ‘war’ while the top opposition parties are busy pushing for the final round of ballots and the screening of candidates. BN, they are mainly about assessing the current situation and calculating when the election will have the lowest risk,” he pointed out in a statement yesterday.
Chan added Najib not only wanted to defeat the opposition parties in one swoop, but also wanted to reshuffle the cards and consolidate his own power, and eventually, he had to make decision on the best time.
According to him, many people think when is the election to be held is no longer their focus but whether the government could create a new bureau for our country would be the main theme of this coming GE14.
Meanwhile, Parti Warisan Sabah vice-president Junz Wong also stressed that it would be a good time for them to have more time to push their momentum towards higher level.
“Nonetheless, we won’t be complacent as we all know we can’t believe in PM’s and DPM’s words as far as election is concerned as we don’t want to be caught surprised. I know people are ready for elections. We are prepared for elections since last April, 2017,” he said.
Junz, who is also Likas assemblyman, added their leaders, members and machinery were ready as they cannot wait for the next elections to be called sooner rather than later so that people can make the change of government a reality, especially in Sabah.
Ahmad Zahid recently hinted that the 14th General Election will likely be held within days after the Chinese New Year next year.
Chinese New Year falls on Feb 16 and 17. The current parliamentary term expires on June 26, 2018 which means GE14 must be called within 60 days from that date.