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KOTA BHARU – The 16th General Election (GE16) should be expedited to enable the country to move beyond the current political turmoil and uncertainty, said Pas deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
He said the current political uncertainty needed to be resolved by returning the right to the people to make their choice through the democratic process.
“I see a need for an earlier general election. I agree that in an uncertain situation such as this, we need to move beyond the turmoil we are facing.
“I agree that GE16 should be expedited,” he said at a press conference after officiating the 67th Pas Youth Wing Muktamar here today.
Earlier, the media reported that Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) had also taken the position that GE16 should be held earlier, before the end of the current parliamentary term, which is scheduled to expire at the end of next year.
Tuan Ibrahim said the holding of several state elections separately in the coming period, including in Melaka and Sarawak, calls for coordination to allow the elections to be held simultaneously.
He said the move would not only reduce the costs borne by the Election Commission (EC), but also prevent a prolonged period of political campaigning.
“We have several state elections that will be held one after another. After this, there is Melaka, followed by Sarawak, and the costs are quite substantial for the EC to bear.
“It is time for coordination to be carried out so that the elections can be held simultaneously,” he said.
He said the prolonged political situation had also forced the public to continuously focus on political developments, affecting their attention to other matters that were more important.
“For more than a year, we have had to deal with a situation like this. I think the people are already tired of this situation.
“If it can be expedited, the earlier the better,” he said.
