WHEN push comes to shove, especially when it comes to politics, the obvious choice would be whether an elected leader wants to be led by the nose or show leadership under the circumstances.
That seems to be the choices confronting the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Like the Malay proverb “ditelan mati emak, diluah mati bapak“, he has the limited option to either go with UMNO’s push for snap polls or respect the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Pakatan Harapan (Pakatan).
Under the agreement, Ismail Sabri promised not to dissolve the Parliament before July 31, where he was supposed to enact several reforms to the political process during the “ceasefire period”.
So, whether the Bera MP will show leadership during the trying times or buckle under his party’s pressure remains to be seen.
Nevertheless, we can only hope that Ismail Sabri would act wisely, considering ground reality that the people are affected by rising cost of living. We also need reforms to our economic policies to spur growth.
No doubt, the Prime Minister must consider on how political stability is key in instilling confidence among investors. That should be his main consideration before dissolving the Parliament.
In my view, if the general election is held anytime soon, it would disrupt our political stability. With investors being wary of us, it may have a negative impact on our economic rejuvenation plans which was affected by COVID-19.
To complicate matters, our nation is also facing the crunch of supply chain disruption as a result of geo-political upheavals. Chicken breeders are confronted with higher feed prices, supply of wheat is diminishing, our ringgit is trading at an unprecedentedly low exchange rates and inflation is on the uptick and.
As a result, almost all Malaysians are feeling the pinch, especially the most vulnerable segments of our population.
Against the backdrop of such challenging times, it would be best for the political warlords to prioritise real challenges facing the people than their political shenanigans.
The general election can wait awhile but any lapse in addressing the challenges confronting the country’s economy and the people’s predicament, may lead to serious consequences including the people taking their frustrations to the ballot box! – June 7, 2022
K Veeriah is a veteran unionist and a FocusM contributor.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
