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KUALA LUMPUR – The people can state whether they want a general election during the flood season in a “referendum” that PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli will launch soon.
The vote will be in the form of a digital poll for people to urge Putrajaya and state governments to focus on dealing with flood preparedness instead, he said today in a statement on Facebook.
Rafizi’s proposed poll comes in the wake of Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s insistence yesterday that the 15th general election be held before the year ends, even with the risk of monsoon floods.
“Such arrogance should not be allowed to continue without a response from the people,” Rafizi said.
“Therefore, I will work on a public referendum to show Zahid and Umno that the people are fed up with political parties that thirst for power to the point of neglecting flood preparations.
Within a week from now, I will launch a digital poll and a flood preparedness campaign so that the people can express their insistence that the federal government and the states give their full attention to dealing with floods.”
Dari Rafizi Ramli 18 September 2022 DESAKAN UMNO BUAT PRU15 SEMASA BANJIR Kenyataan Presiden UMNO, Dato’ Seri Zahid...
Posted by Rafizi Ramli on Saturday, September 17, 2022
Rafizi said if Zahid and the politicians who insisted on GE15 this year still do not heed the people’s wishes, Umno must be “taught a lesson” in learning to prioritise the people’s welfare.
He said Zahid was being arrogant in insisting on holding GE15 this year and had belittled the suffering of flood victims.
“It shows that he and Umno are detached from the reality of people’s lives. Umno seems to have forgotten the people’s misery due to the flood disasters,” Rafizi added, highlighting two major flood incidents – in Taman Sri Muda, Selangor, last December, and in Baling this year.
Zahid, when launching the Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth election machinery yesterday, again pressed Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to dissolve Parliament immediately after tabling Budget 2023 on October 7 this year.
The Umno president, who is also BN’s chairman, said BN is willing to “wade through floods” to campaign in GE15.
Rafizi said that in contrast, Pakatan Harapan showed that it cares for the people’s welfare when its leadership passed a resolution at a recent meeting for all PH-governed states to focus on flood preparedness, including declaring a “climate emergency”.
“Umno and its leaders, however, are in a frenzy over insisting that GE15 be held immediately in order to seek power,” Rafizi said. – The Vibes, September 18, 2022