Hope the King would reject the request for the dissolution of Parliament.
Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai is disappointed with the Umno Supreme Council for insisting that the 15th General Election (GE15) be held this year, possibly during the monsoon.
Lau said it was likely that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had to follow the wishes of Umno and propose a date for the dissolution of Parliament to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong soon.
“According to Article 40(2) of the Federal Constitution, among the discretionary powers accorded to the King is the right to not consent to the dissolution of Parliament.
“As such, we hope the King would reject the request for the dissolution of Parliament to save 10 million people who are at risk to floods.”
Lau said the party believed that the King would put the people first and make the right decision.
He said feedback from people, indicated that many did not agree for GE15 to be held during the rainy season.
“Perikatan Nasional (which Gerakan is part of) insists on focusing on flood and disaster control, instead of holding a general election to gain power.
“Furthermore, if the general election is held this year, it is estimated to cost an additional RM1 billion.
“The amount could exceed RM2 billion as some state governments said that they would not dissolve their state assemblies this year.
“It is going to be costly, especially since our country has yet to fully recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Instead, such an amount should be channelled to help the people and restore the economy first,” he said.
Lau said GE15 could be delayed until September next year.
“There is no need to rush to hold GE at the end of the year during monsoon.”
Last night, the Umno Supreme Council decided that GE15 must be held this year.
The party’s secretary-general, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said the council insisted that Parliament be dissolved as soon as possible.
He, however, did not disclose the proposed date of the dissolution of the Parliament. – NST