PETALING JAYA: Following its landslide victory in the Johor state election, Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) would feel emboldened to call for the next general election as soon as possible.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Prof Azmi Hassan said Umno would want to keep the momentum going, especially after two landslide victories in Johor and Malacca.
“There would be factions within Umno putting pressure on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to call for an early general election.
“They may feel now is the time to strike, while the iron is hot. And this puts Ismail Sabri in a difficult position as he heads his coalition.”
Azmi said Ismail Sabri could be in a no-win situation if Umno wants early polls.
“If he gives in, he may be seen as (a pushover). But if he (resists) Umno’s call, he may be accused of trying to hold on to power.”
Azmi added that although it is only about a more year to the 15th general election (GE15), Umno may not want to let the momentum go unused.
“A concern for Umno could be that the people may turn against them if they call for elections while the pandemic is still an issue.
“They might also be worried that if they wait too long, it could give the Opposition time to regroup and mount a proper campaign in GE15.”
However, he pointed out that the Johor and Malacca elections showed that the Opposition have yet to get their act together.
Azmi said one of the main reasons Pakatan Harapan (PH) agreed to support the federal government was to gain time to prepare for GE15, adding that with enough time, PH, Warisan and other parties might get their act together to mount a serious threat to BN.
In the Johor polls, BN crusied to victory by winning a huge majority of 40 of the 56 seats contested while in Malacca, it won 21 of 28 seats.
Malaysian Council of Professors senior fellow Prof Dr Jeniri Amir said BN may feel now is the right time to call for GE15.
“The current voting trend shows strong support for BN as it is a dominant coalition while the Opposition is in tatters at the moment.
“Perception among the voters for now is that PH had failed them when they were in power for 22 months,” he said, adding that BN would want to take advantage of this.
Jeniri pointed out no one knows what will happen in a year’s time and the agreement between PH and the government will end in July.
He said currently, those in Perikatan Nasional (PN) were at loggerheads with BN, and the polls in Johor and Malacca have shown that they were even willing to hit below the belt at times.
“Ismail Sabri will be facing a lot of pressure to call for early elections when the Umno general assembly is held. He cannot ignore the call of the general assembly.
“BN also realises that the people want a strong and stable government, not one rife with infighting.”
Jeniri said when the general election is called, the people will vote for a strong government as they have seen what happens to a government with a slim majority.
“Even investors would be unwilling to invest in Malaysia because of an unstable political situation,” he said.