PRIME Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has pledged that the 15th General Election (GE15) will be held by end of July 2022 at the latest depending on the COVID-19 situation in the country.
Making the pledge, Muhyiddin said that he has no intention to cling on to power.
“Based on the pandemic situation, I take an oath that GE15 will be held latest by end of July next year,” he said in a televised live address today (Aug 13).
Under pressure to prove the legitimacy of his Perikatan Nasional (PN) Government, Muhyiddin also took a swipe at his detractors.
“My reason for these proposals is to allow the Government to function during the pandemic with bi-partisan support in Parliament.
“At the same time, just like all of you, I, too, have a duty to not allow the group of kleptocrats to rule if this political conflict is not resolved urgently,” he said.
Meanwhile, he also appealed to the Opposition to back him during the upcoming motion of confidence by promising a slew of reforms, including:
- The implementation of Undi18 without waiting for automatic registration;
- Anti-party hopping laws;
- Term limits for prime minister;
- Parliamentary reforms with 50% Opposition members in the special select committees;
- Annual allocation for all MPs; and
- Opposition leader to be treated as a senior cabinet minister.
Muhyiddin also said that he will further top up the RM300 mil given to all MPs as pandemic assistance for their constituencies and increase the COVID-19 Fund to RM110 bil.
The Government will also dish out a further RM10 mil for all of those whose incomes were affected during the pandemic, with more funds to help businesses.
Muhyiddin’s attempt to extend an olive branch came at a time when the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is attempting to independently evaluate whether the former still commanded support from the majority.
As of Aug 9, according to Malaysiakini, the Prime Minister is believed to command the support of 100 MPs – 11 short of a simple majority – after UMNO officially withdrew support for the PN Government on Aug 3.
Two UMNO MPs – Energy and Natural Resources minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah and Higher Education minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad – have left the Cabinet, citing loyalty to their party.
Meanwhile, 12 other UMNO MPs have withdrawn their support for the administration. – Aug 13, 2021.
