Analysts: Hold GE15 now to stop numbers game and let Malaysians pick leaders

PETALING JAYA: The 15th General Election (GE15) should be called now if the government continues to be rattled by MPs seeking to be prime minister.

Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (NASR), said even if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was replaced by someone with the support of more than 111 MPs, it would not ensure political stability in the country.

"I think the numbers game should stop once and for all. Whoever has the numbers, it will be minimal and will not last," he told The Star on Monday (May 30).

In order to ensure a strong government, Azmi said the mandate must be returned to Malaysians.

"Let's go to the polls so the people can decide. As seen in Sarawak, Melaka and Johor, the government is much more stable (after their respective state elections)," he added.

Barisan Nasional secured a two-thirds majority in Melaka last November and Johor in March.

In September's Sarawak state election in December, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) also secured a two-thirds majority.

Azmi was responding to remarks by Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who claimed that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had called him two months ago to get his backing to be prime minister again.

In an event at Libaran in Sandakan on Sunday (May 29), Shafie claimed Muhyiddin, the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president and Perikatan Nasional chairman, told him he had the backing of 119 MPs in the 222-member Dewan Rakyat.

Also read: ‘Muhyiddin wants to be PM again’, claims Shafie

Dr Oh Ei Sun, an adjunct senior fellow at Singapore's Institute of International Affairs, also expressed similar opinions to Azmi's on the fluidity of Malaysian politics.

"The political circumstances in Malaysia are such that at any given time, one senior politician or another might indeed command the confidence of the parliamentary majority, but as their respective perceptions of self-interest – political, financial or otherwise – evolve expeditiously, so to does their political allegiance.

"Such majority support is thus by definition ephemeral, as vividly demonstrated in the last two years," he added.

Oh said Malaysia's "short-sighted and self-beneficial political developments" showed that MPs are willing to switch allegiances as long as their interests aligned temporarily.

"Political rivals could all come under one camp, but as soon as their perceptions of respective interests diverge, they could just as easily splinter," he added.

Oh also said there was an urgent need to critically review the various bureaucratic obstacles hindering the flow of foreign investment and encouraging the outflow of local capital at the same time.

"There is also an acute need to ensure food sufficiency and resilience in the state amid rising inflation," added Oh.

Following the 14th General Election in May 2018, Pakatan Harapan came to power. Of its component parties then, PKR had 50 MPs, DAP 42, Parti Amanah Negara 11, and Bersatu 26.

The "Sheraton Move" in February 2020 saw the exit of Bersatu and 11 PKR MPs, triggering the collapse of the Pakatan government after just 22 months in Putrajaya.

Perikatan subsequently formed the next government with Barisan Nasional, and Muhyiddin was the prime minister.

Just 17 months in power, Muhyiddin tendered his resignation in August last year after a group of Umno MPs led by Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi withdrew support.

Ismail Sabri was subsequently appointed prime minister, and maintained a similar Cabinet lineup to Muhyiddin’s.