Barisan Nasional (BN) should ignore calls to withdraw from the unity government to avoid being blamed if the 16th general election (GE16) is held ahead of schedule, says former Umno supreme council member Nazri Aziz.
He said although BN was ready to face an election at any time, the coalition should remember the decree issued by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong when the unity government was formed following the 2022 general election (GE15).
“I hope BN listens to the king’s advice for the cooperation to continue until the end of the 15th parliamentary term. We have to wait and cannot withdraw.
“GE16 must not happen because BN decides to leave (forcing Parliament to be dissolved). If Pakatan Harapan (PH) wants to dissolve Parliament, let it do so,” he told FMT.
Loke challenges BN to withdraw
On Tuesday, DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook challenged BN to withdraw from the unity government, claiming the coalition lacked the courage to do so because it feared losing its positions and political influence.
Loke was responding to BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s suggestion that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim dissolve Parliament early instead of reshuffling the Cabinet following the DAP leader’s resignation as transport minister.
Political landscape has changed
Asked whether Zahid’s push for an early election could expose Umno to a repeat of its GE15 experience, Nazri said the political landscape had changed since Ismail Sabri Yaakob was prime minister.
He said PH, led by Anwar, had not been given the opportunity to govern the country at the time, unlike now, when voters could compare the performance of the PH and BN administrations.
Nazri, a former federal minister, also claimed that PH had yet to fulfil many of its promises, giving voters an opportunity to assess the capabilities of both coalitions.
He said BN’s political momentum was improving and hoped the Melaka state election would serve as an indicator of public support for the coalition.
“Let’s see how things go in Melaka. God willing, if we win convincingly, it means the people are ready to give us their support,” he said.
The Melaka election this Saturday will see BN and Perikatan Nasional face off against PH, Bersatu and other parties.
