The time has come for Prime Minister Ismail Sabri to be decisive by explicitly stating the date of the next general elections. By keeping the entire nation on tenterhooks, Ismail is not only disrupting the running of the government but also the investment climate in the country. Every day he delays announcing the election date, he appears weaker and weaker.
Businesses hate uncertainty and would postpone investment decisions until there is certainty, clarity and consistency in government policy. All this is not possible with a government now in election mode obsessed with the latest drama of whether Ismail Sabri will be dissolving Parliament tomorrow when he has his weekly audience with the King.
By tomorrow, either Parliament is dissolved, or Ismail Sabri should state explicitly when is the exact date to remove business uncertainty that would adversely impact markets and investment decision making. If Parliament is dissolved tomorrow despite being in the middle of the monsoon season and severe floods, then it is clear that Ismail is willing to sacrifice those struggling to save lives and property in flood waters during the election campaign period.
In The Best Interest Of The Nation And Ismail Sabri Politically To Call For Elections Next Year.
To-date there is no combined contingency flood and general election plan put forward by the government. This is purely an irresponsible political decision and power play to win the elections at all costs even at the price of lost lives and property to floods. Whilst the opposition have advised Ismail that it is better to make UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi angry than incur the wrath of Mother Nature, Ismail must remove the uncertainty about the election date once and for all.
Further Ismail Sabri should know that whilst he currently exercises power as Prime Minister, his power vanishes immediately once he dissolves Parliament. The power vested in him will then be transferred quickly to Ahmad Zahid who holds the political fate of every potential UMNO election candidate in his hands. It is in the best interest of the nation and Ismail himself politically to call elections next year.