Fixed term Parliament will eliminate 'puzzle' of GE date - Political analyst

PUTRAJAYA: It has been proposed that the dissolution of Parliament in the future is done only when the term ends, which is after five years, so that the General Election (GE) has a fixed date.

Political analyst Prof Wong Chin Huat believes that in addition to giving a more predictable date for the GE, this fixed-term Parliament is seen to be able to give more convincing prospects for foreign investors to invest in the country when it has less uncertainty.

"When there is no fixed date for the GE, it makes it troublesome for even people at the grassroots level. If you are a police officer, teacher, civil servant, or even a journalist, you cannot plan holidays for weddings and so on.

"This also makes it difficult for the ministers because we cannot make long-term plans and makes it difficult for investors because they don't know when the government will change," he said.

The Sunway University lecturer said this during his presentation entitled "Kestabilan atas Musyuwarah, bukan Dominasi: Peranjakan Paradigma Politik dalam Keluarga Malaysia" (Stability over Musyuwarah, not Domination: Political Paradigm Shift in Malaysian Family" in conjunction with the 'Keluarga Malaysia Symposium: Achievements and Hopes' here today.

Chin Huat said it is different before this (fixed term), where the prime minister had the discretion to seek the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to hold the GE earlier before the end of the five-year period, after this, it is suggested that Parliament could only be dissolved under two circumstances.

"When the prime minister has lost confidence and if two-thirds of the Members of Parliament (MPs) want an early dissolution, then he (the prime minister) can seek the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament.

"If not, let Parliament complete (its five-year term), this also means (in the current situation) the government should be given the opportunity to complete its work until July 15, 2023," he said.

Meanwhile, Prof Datuk Dr Shamrahayu Ab Aziz, in his presentation entitled "Undang-Undang dan Kesejahteraan Keluarga Malaysia" (Malaysian Law and Malaysian Family Well-Being), said the achievements of the government led by Ismail Sabri in the legal context are excellent.

"This is because the legislators (MPs) have successfully passed approximately 40 Bills, including several important laws, three Federal Constitution amendment bills, including to restore relations within a Federal state and many Act amendments," he said.

He said the successful drafting of the anti-party hopping law was also another major achievement under the Ismail Sabri administration.

"Although this law is not guaranteed to prevent a change of government in the future, it can at least make it 'difficult' for this to happen," he said.

-- BERNAMA