The G25 group has called on the government to complete its full five-year term which ends on July 16, 2023.
This is because there is no pressing need for the prime minister to dissolve the Parliament, such as a no-confidence vote against him, the group said in a statement today.
“Any move by the prime minister to seek an early dissolution of Parliament (which may or may not be acceded to, at His Majesty’s absolute discretion), in the absence of a vote of no confidence against him, will be seen as a capitulation to the demands of the Umno leaders for their own self-interests.
“It’s true that there is political instability in the country as a result of the Sheraton Move in early 2020 but now is not the time to deal with it,” said G25, citing the economic challenges caused by external geo-politic tensions, and the ongoing inflation.
Putrajaya should instead spend the remaining few months of the Parliament term discussing and debating Budget 2023 in detail, the group added.
“The MPs should discuss how the government can come up with the right policies to deal with the various factors that are leading to the falling ringgit.
“The falling ringgit can bring about serious implications on the economy, as well as on the people’s standards of living, especially among the B40 households.”
In addition, the government and the prime minister should also work on implementing reforms and delivering promises to strengthen the institutions of governance, to inspire confidence that Malaysia is a progressive country, the group stressed.
“G25 is aware that in a parliamentary democracy, elections provide the true test of a government’s legitimacy to rule the country. Therefore, all political parties must prepare themselves for GE15.
“There should be no delays in implementing the laws on anti-party hopping and political financing so that when the next elections are held, the people can feel that it is a meaningful exercise of electing a clean and trustworthy government for the country.”
G25 further urged more time to be given to youth political movements to prepare their campaigns, now that 18-year-olds are eligible to vote.
“In mature democracies, Parliament may be dissolved whenever there is a vote of no confidence on the government’s ability to perform.
“So far, Umno has not said that the BN-led government is a failure. Therefore, the public is not convinced that there is a clear case for elections to be held ahead of time,” said the group. – Malaysiakini