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Murray Hunter
OVER the last six months, speculation has run high that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would call an early general election.
There is little logical basis for it.
The Madani government was assembled principally to deliver political stability after years of turbulence.
An unpopular administration gains nothing by rushing to the polls when it still has time to improve its standing. The most recent cautionary example remains Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s early election in 2018, and the outcome is well known.
The newly signed Confidence and Supply Agreement (CSA) with six Bersatu MPs and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman of Muda, together with six former Bersatu representatives, further entrenches a working majority.
The arrangement allows the government to weather any sudden departure by UMNO.
Under the CSA, the 13 MPs will receive the same area development allocations as government-aligned representatives. In return, they commit to supporting the 2027 Budget and Anwar’s administration until the end of the current parliamentary term.
The agreement also covers key institutional reforms, including a two-term limit on the prime ministership and the separation of the attorney-general and public prosecutor roles.
Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin emphasised that the party is not joining the government.
It remains in opposition to perform its checks-and-balances function, modelling the arrangement on the cooperation once extended to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration.
The goal, he said, is greater national stability, particularly on the economy and cost of living.
Anwar welcomed the deal, urging political parties to place national interests above partisan differences.
He described the CSA as a foundation for continuity in governance and effective implementation of Budget 2027, stressing that political maturity requires prioritising the country’s long-term well-being.
The numbers illustrate the strengthened position.
The government bloc currently stands at around 149 seats (Pakatan Harapan 75, Barisan Nasional 30, Gabungan Parti Sarawak 23, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah 7, plus smaller parties, independents and the newly supportive MPs).
With 218 active MPs, a simple majority requires 110 votes.
The CSA provides a buffer against internal shifts.
Conspicuously, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was absent from the signing ceremony. Hours later, a photograph emerged of Zahid meeting Wawasan president and opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, who commands the loyalty of many Bersatu MPs.
The image underscores both the fragmentation within Perikatan Nasional and lingering strains inside the Madani coalition itself.
The suspended Bersatu MP aligned with Hamzah was neither invited nor informed of the ceremony.
Other signals point in the same direction.
Contrary to the predictions of many pundits, the latest budget did not carry the hallmarks of an election budget. Anwar has reiterated that differences between ministries form part of normal policy deliberation and that collective Cabinet responsibility remains intact. The CSA itself stops short of any electoral pact for the Melaka state election.
UMNO is widely expected to perform well there, an outcome already factored into political calculations, though the party could later attempt to leverage any success to unsettle the federal arrangement.
Taken together, the CSA, the non-electoral nature of the budget, and Anwar’s consistent messaging indicate that he intends to serve out the full term.
Stability was the founding purpose of the Madani government.
The latest agreement reinforces that purpose rather than signalling a rush to the ballot box. – October 31, 2026
