Pas believes several factors could result in the 16th General Election (GE16) being held at any time, including the expiry of the Melaka state assembly’s term and ties between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional.
Pas vice-president Datuk Idris Ahmad said the situation should serve as a wake-up call to all parties to be prepared for the possibility of an early election.
“One possible scenario is the Melaka state election, whose current term expires on Dec 27 this year.
“Another scenario is that the election could be held this year, before the first sitting of the new Parliament or the Sarawak state legislative assembly, which is due to begin on Feb 14, 2027,” he said when met by reporters here last night.
The Bagan Serai member of parliament said the relationship between PH and BN was another factor that could influence the timing of the poll.
Describing the relationship as lukewarm, Idris said recent political developments indicated that cooperation between the two coalitions could face challenges.
He cited recent remarks by former Umno leader Khairy Jamaluddin, who claimed that ties between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were becoming increasingly strained.
“Khairy said Anwar and Zahid are increasingly at odds and that trust between them is at its lowest level.
“If the election is held today, it may already be difficult for PH. If it is delayed further, it could become even more difficult,” he said.
Idris also pointed to the results of the Johor and Negri Sembilan state elections as contributing factors.
“In Johor, BN won 48 of the 56 seats, while PH won only eight. Recently, in Negri Sembilan, PH won only 11 of the 36 seats, while BN and its allies won 25.
“These are factors that we regard as pushing towards an election being held sooner,” he said.
On reports that Perlis Umno was prepared to contest the next election on its own, Idris said decisions on political cooperation rested with the party’s central leadership.
“It is not the states that will make the decision. The decision will be made at the central level.
“We have not discussed this with other states. We have not touched on it and have not discussed it yet.
“We have many other matters that are more important to deal with first. It is not a priority for us to discuss this at the moment,” he said.
On Pas’ preparations in Tumpat, Idris said the party’s strength lay in its membership and grassroots organisation.
He said Pas had 155 branches in Tumpat with more than 13,000 members.
“Our strength is in our membership and branches. Tumpat has considerable strength, with 155 branches and more than 13,000 members. This strength must be maintained,” he said. -NST
