SHAH ALAM: The Prime Minister, who has the sole prerogative to advise the King on the dissolution of Parliament, will not be influenced by the views of other parties, said Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Other political parties do not have a say in the matter or influence his decision, he said.
Ismail Sabri said it was not a common practice for political parties to opine on the matter or attempt to interfere in the process or the Prime Minister’s decision.
The onus is on the Prime Minister to decide and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to give the final nod, he told reporters after attending an event here yesterday.
Ismail Sabri noted that previous prime ministers had independently decided on matters relating to the dissolution of Parliament and had never openly discussed it.
“There would be no views given by others (regarding the date of the dissolution) and there would be no interference as well,’’ he added.
Ismail Sabri said that not only did previous prime ministers not discuss the dissolution of Parliament with other parties, they did not even discuss it with their own party.
“We never talked openly about the election date,’’ he said.
Ismail Sabri said that statements made by several political parties asking for the dissolution of Parliament to be postponed would not influence his decision.
However, he gave an assurance that these suggestions and views would be looked into.
Asked about his audience with the King tomorrow, Ismail Sabri said it was a routine meeting, which is in tandem with the weekly Cabinet meeting.
(It is a routine for the Prime Minister to brief the King about matters raised at the weekly Cabinet meeting.)
Earlier, in his speech at the launch of the Idea Bina Negara (IBN) digital platform here yesterday, Ismail Sabri said the government would always ensure that the voices of the youth are heard.
He said that young people are idealistic and exposed to progressive ideas from both inside and outside the country.
IBN is a digital platform where Keluarga Malaysia, especially young people, can share their ideas for the nation’s development and for Budget 2023.
According to Ismail Sabri, the IBN application has received more than 12,000 ideas from youths nationwide.
“I am very happy because the biggest contributors of ideas, at 57.9%, are from youths between 18 to 21 years of age.”
Ismail Sabri said there would be something relevant for youths in Budget 2023, which will be tabled on Friday.
He also spoke about the government’s awareness of the need to create well-paying jobs for them.
“About 46.2% of youths are earning below RM2,500 monthly,’’ he noted, adding that the government has implemented various measures to eradicate joblessness among youths and to get them well-paying jobs.
