All eyes are on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as talks heighten that Parliament may be dissolved tomorrow.
This comes following whispers that Ismail Sabri was apparently granted an audience by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, at Istana Negara earlier today.
A black Audi, believed to be ferrying the prime minister, was spotted entering Istana Negara via the main gate this afternoon. The King and Queen are leaving for London tonight for a special visit to the United Kingdom.
Speculation that the 15th General Election will be held “soon” has been running wild in recent days, but Ismail Sabri had been non-committal over when Parliament would be dissolved.
Al-Sultan Abdullah, Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, and Ismail Sabri, earlier this morning, attended the national level Maulidur Rasul celebrations at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Al-Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah’s five-day special visit to the United Kingdom begins tomorrow until Oct 16. While there, the King and Queen are scheduled to meet King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, on Oct 12. The Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong will also officiate the Battersea Power Station project on the same day.
The Agong, on Oct 6, granted an audience to Ismail Sabri. It was said to be a “regular meeting”, a day before Budget 2023 was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat. It remains unclear if the dissolution of Parliament was raised then.
Prior to meeting Ismail Sabri, Al-Sultan Abdullah, on Thursday morning, visited the National Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre. There, the Agong was given a briefing on the status of the forecasted floods in the country, with the coming of the monsoon season.
At the Maulidur Rasul event this morning, Al-Sultan Abdullah called on all relevant agencies to make thorough and comprehensive preparations ahead of the possible floods due to the Northeast Monsoon in November.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department, in a statement on Sept 29, said the country will go through a monsoon transition phase, starting Oct 3, until the end of November. The monsoon season in Malaysia usually occurs between November and March of the following year.
For the record, in 1999, Malaysians went to the polls in November.
If Parliament is indeed dissolved tomorrow, those in the know anticipate that polls will be held “by the end of this month, or within the first week of November”.
Umno leaders have been clamouring for the general election to take place this year.
While the Umno-led BN is bullish on their chances in the upcoming GE15, many believe that the mushrooming of new parties and the uncertain political landscape in Malaysia could result in a hung Parliament.
Umno is also facing challenges within. It is still reeling from the fact that its ex-president and former prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, is serving a jail sentence over the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) saga.
Its current president, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, was recently acquitted of all charges in his foreign visa application system bribery trial. However, he still faces 47 other charges – 12 for criminal breach of trust, eight for corruption, and 27 for money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to charity foundation, Yayasan Akalbudi.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, an Umno man, last month had said that holding the general election during the monsoon season was ill-advised due to the logistical challenges as well as the possible health ramifications. He added that governments would avoid calling for polls at a time when floods were expected.
Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, had also last month, rubbished the perception that Umno was eager to hold elections during the flood season. He said that GE15 “should be held before the floods.”
