Once again, UMNO has shown itself to be unfit to govern Malaysia again when Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin admitted that UMNO did not know what the King was disappointed about the latest political developments in the country. Khaled said that caretaker Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will address the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s concerns within the next couple of days. UMNO is obviously protesting innocence when they are the source of all the political instability recently.
An UMNO government cannot be entrusted with a mandate to run the country when the political machinations of UMNO leaders engineer an early general election to save themselves from corruption cases despite Malaysia being in the midst of the monsoon period and an economic crisis. No wonder Transparency International Corruption Perception Index(TI-CPI) rankings for Malaysia dropped from No. 51 in the 2019 TI-CPI Report with 53 points as compared to the current No. 62 ranking with only 48 points in the latest 2021 Report. UMNO obviously wanted a snap poll now to avoid the further drop in the 2022 TI-CPI rankings that will be released next year.
The foreign financial investors are not impressed with UMNO’s government that calling the general election during possible severe floods is necessary for political stability in the country. There is no plan to deal with the financial burdens faced by the people and businesses facing escalating cost of living associated with soaring prices, depreciating ringgit, rising interest rates, low real wage increase that cannot keep up with inflation and a severe foreign labour shortage.
Ringgit Dropping To a New 24-Year-Old Low Of RM4.67 To The US Dollar
The ringgit depreciated by 0.5% today to the US dollar to a new 24-year-old low of RM4.67, whilst flirting with the historic low of RM3.26 to the Singapore dollar and continuing to slide against the Indonesian rupiah by more than 4%. Like the weak ringgit, the stock market is equally not impressed by this snap poll a mere three days after the 2023 Budget was tabled in Parliament, possibly leaving the country without any 2023 Budget by the end of the year.
A government that is contemptuous of democracy and the Indian community, the institution of Parliament, the budgetary process that should prioritise the needs of the rakyat over the selfish political interests of the UMNO warlords and willing to risk lives and property in the flood season should be rejected by the rakyat in the coming general election. Obviously calling an election in the midst of Deepavali, a first in any major ethnic festival since Merdeka, is so disrespectful to the Indian community.
Since Ismail Sabri refuses to listen to the expert advice by Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) not to hold the 15th General Election this year, he might as well abolish this department. (MetMalaysia) deputy director-general (strategic and technical) Dr Mohd Hashim Mohd Anip had suggested that the general election should not be held this year, from the point of view of the disaster management community, because there will be many locations throughout Malaysia that will face flooding. Ismail and UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should bear full responsibility for any loss of lives and property for failing in their primary duty to focus solely on flood disaster management.