Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob delivering Malaysia’s National Statement in Bahasa Melayu at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) - Filepic
NEW YORK: With the conclusion of the Prime Minister’s first physical appearance at the United Nations General Assembly, the focus is back on the next general election.
Many are waiting to see if he will call for national polls in the coming days, possibly after the tabling of Budget 2023 on Oct 7.
“I don’t know how close it is to polls,” he answered when the Malaysian media asked about the general election.
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Umno supreme council would meet on Sept 30 at night.
Prior to the meeting, the party’s top five leadership would meet.
“We will discuss the matter then. There will also be a meeting held by the political bureau. Let’s see what the outcome of the meeting is,” he added.
Umno’s top five refers to the party president, its deputy president and three vice-presidents, onw of whom is Ismail Sabri.
Asked if he had any inspiration on when to call for polls while in New York, Ismail Sabri replied: “I took a walk at New York’s Central Park and was impressed by how they protected and preserved the 832 acres (336ha) of green lung.”
“If it was in Malaysia, there will be proposals on my table to develop the area. So, I was inspired to see how we can protect our green areas.
“But for the election, I did not get any inspiration,” he added.
Speculation is rife that the general election will be held before the year end, even though the current parliamentary term ends in July 2023.
Umno had been making persistent calls for the dissolution of Parliament, arguing that it should be done now so the elections can be held before the annual year-end floods.
