GE15 can wait, rakyat facing hard times now, govt told

KUALA LUMPUR: Many are of the opinion that the government should fully focus on efforts to govern the country and solve problems faced by the people instead of rushing to call for the 15th General Election (GE15).

Political analyst Dr Mazlan Ali said among the issues that the government must pay attention to were the fall in the ringgit and inflation which have affected consumers and society as a whole.

The senior lecturer at the Razak Faculty of Technology and Informatics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said the government should make the most of the political stability achieved through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Transformation and Political Stability by making decisions that bring benefits to the people.

"The government today can pass any bill in the interest of the people and the country...therefore, I do not see the need for an election," he said when contacted by Bernama.

Institute for Research and Development of Policy chief liaison officer Sheikh Khuzaifah Sheik Abu Bakar said there must be a stong reason for the government to hold GE15 as the country was still facing various challenges such as rising prices of goods and efforts to control communicable diseases.

"All parties (the government) should now give their 100 per cent focus to solving the country's problems such as reviving the economy and so on. We should not waste time on political issues anymore because we have strayed from the track for many years," he said.

Citing an example, Sheikh Khuzaifah said the Johor State Election should have not been held because for him there was no solid reason to do so.

"A lot of time and resources were spent to hold the state election," he said.

Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) chief activist Datuk Nadzim Johan said it was important for the government to find the most suitable timing to hold GE15.

He said the people were very much hoping for the best and a change in government management in the current new normal environment.

Meanwhile, some members of the public also opposed to having GE15 in a rush as the people were still facing various challenges and difficulties in life.

A human resources officer at an oil and gas company who only wanted to be known as Ahmad, 25, said it was not necessary for now because elections are costly.

Sharing the same sentiment, executive manager at a private company, Zulkarlnain Haqiem Aziz, 32, said it would be better if the large expenditure incurred by the government to hold GE15 was used to help the people.

"The government or the opposition must first find ways to address problems faced by the people and ensure that their welfare is always protected before holding GE15," he said.

The media previously reported that a total RM420 million was spent by the Election Commission for the Johor, Sarawak, Melaka and Sabah elections.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said of the amount, RM130 million were spent on holding the Sabah state electinn; Melaka polls (RM45 million; Sarawak polls (RM149 million) and Johor polls (RM96 million).

-- BERNAMA