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KUALA LUMPUR – The opposition should be willing to have the 15th general election now if they are afraid of floods at the end of the year, said Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said Barisan Nasional’s opponents have been giving “excuse after excuse” to avoid polls, first by citing the Covid-19 pandemic, and then their memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government.
The MoU that Pakatan Harapan signed with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob last year stipulated that the general election should not be called before July 31 this year.
“If it is true that BN's opponents are afraid that GE15 will be held during the flood season, and not because they are using it as their latest excuse, then let’s have GE15 now.
“It's time for the opposition to walk the talk and push the button so that the Election Commission can set the nearest date for the general election,” Zahid said in a Facebook post.
He also clarified his remarks about BN’s willingness to wade through floods to campaign for GE15.
“My speech was just to state that the BN machinery is already ready to face GE15 at any time, regardless of the circumstances. The machinery is willing to face all challenges to ensure BN’s victory,” Zahid said.
He said his words had been manipulated to make it seem that BN did not care for the people, following criticism from opposition figures that BN only cared about the polls and not the risk of floods.
“Actually, BN has long been asking for GE15 to be held, especially once the country achieved herd immunity (for Covid-19),” Zahid said.
The Umno president and BN chairman was branded “crazy”, “selfish”, and “shameless” for his speech, which critics said showed his arrogance in insisting that the election be held despite predictions of adverse weather and flooding in the coming monsoon season. – The Vibes, September 21, 2022