Six state govts refusing to dissolve assembly with next GE possibly due to fear of losing, says analyst

KLANG: The six states which are not keen to hold state elections may be refusing to do so due to problems in their own state governments, says a political analyst.

Terengganu-based political analyst Dr Azmi Omar said for Terengganu, he believes there is discontent on the ground in the state due to claims that the state government has not been paying serious attention to their problems.

He said there may be a political risk if Terengganu agrees to hold a state election together with the general election.

"Currently the PAS-led Terengganu government is perceived as being non-functional with a lot of dissatisfaction on the ground,’’ Dr Azmi said on Tuesday (March 15).

He added the previous administration led by Barisan Nasional was seen to be more effective in terms of its engagement with the people than the current state government.

The Barisan government led the state after the 2004 general election until the 2018 polls, and people are now comparing the difference between the current PAS government and the previous Barisan government, said Dr Azmi.

However, he said this does not mean the current state government will lose all or most of the 22 seats it won in the general election.

"Terengganu is known as a swing state, unlike Kelantan which is strongly with PAS.

"Furthermore, why should Terengganu agree to a state election when they can wait until the next general election?” Dr Azmi said.

Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights director Fahri Azzat said there isn't any need for these states to dissolve their state assemblies at this juncture as they would not be gaining anything if a snap election was held now.

Academic Prof Datuk Dr Ramlah Adam said the Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional state governments probably wanted more time to rectify any flaws in their administrations so that they can be better prepared for the next general election.

She added the current mood was upbeat for Barisan and Umno after the wins in Sarawak, Melaka and Johor.

So, the government leaders of the six states probably did not want this to jeopardise their respective administrations.

"They certainly don’t want to give Barisan a chance to win and take over their states, more so when they are voters who believe Barisan has a good chance,’’ said Dr Ramlah.

She believed that if Barisan used the same campaign talk which revolved around the people's welfare in the Johor polls, it may win in some of the states held by the Opposition now.

"People will be convinced with promises of a better life and guaranteed jobs, and I think the leadership in opposition-held states are aware of this as well,’’ she said.

By not rushing to agree to snap polls will give these states time to rectify any weaknesses in their administration and strengthen their support on the ground, said Dr Ramlah.