Malaysian King calls for political stability amid push for snap polls

Malaysia's King yesterday urged the country's politicians to maintain political stability following a historic bipartisan agreement inked last year which, among other things, ruled out a general election until after the middle of this year.

Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, who made the appeal in an address while opening the first meeting of the latest session of Parliament, was referring to the confidence and supply agreement (CSA) reached in September last year between Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the biggest opposition bloc Pakatan Harapan (PH).

The King's remarks came amid speculation that Umno, the biggest component in the current ruling bloc, might push for a snap general election early this year, especially if it performs well in the state polls in Johor next month.

Under the CSA , Parliament may only be dissolved from August this year, which - if adhered to - might mean that balloting will only take place towards the end of the year.

"As a result of this agreement and maturity, amendments to the Federal Constitution related to the 1963 Malaysia Agreement was successfully approved by more than two-thirds of the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara members last December," Sultan Abdullah said, referring to an amendment Bill to elevate the status of Sabah and Sarawak as two of three entities that make up Malaysia. Dewan Rakyat refers to the Lower House of Parliament while Dewan Negara is the Senate or Upper Chamber.

The so-called MA63 Bill was passed unanimously on Dec 14 in a rare show of bipartisan unity in Parliament following a prolonged period of instability since the collapse of the PH administration in 2020. It collapsed under the weight of defections in its ranks in early 2020.

The MA63 Bill was among a number of major reforms in the CSA , all of which the government agreed to undertake in exchange for PH's backing for crucial supply Bills.

Implementation of all the reforms is not expected until the end of July at least.

BowerGroup Asia deputy managing director Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani told The Straits Times politicians from both sides are likely to heed the King's call and not push for elections until the CSA lapses later this year. "The King has been consistent in his message of preserving political stability for the past two years," he said.

But he also said that the King's remarks will not immediately dampen Umno's ambitions, especially if the party performs exceptionally well in the Johor polls.

The government led by Datuk Seri Ismail, an Umno vice-president, has a slim four-seat majority in Parliament. Besides his party, his government can now count on the support of former premier Muhyiddin Yassin's Perikatan Nasional coalition, which incidentally is battling the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition in Johor.

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan yesterday said Umno would push for an early general election regardless of the outcome of the Johor polls, citing the need for political stability.

Mr Asrul Hadi said: "(Umno president Zahid Hamidi's) ability to rally the party's grassroots during Umno's AGM (annual general meeting) will determine if its leaders will push for an early GE."

The Johor election was triggered by Umno after the state government was left with a single-seat majority, after the death of an assemblyman. It comes on the heels of November's Melaka election which BN won by a landslide, securing a two-thirds majority in the assembly. Umno's ally Gabungan Parti Sarawak also romped home in the Sarawak election in December, taking 76 of the 82 seats at stake.