While debating the King’s address in the Dewan Rakyat today, the Umno MP said he regretted that his party’s senior leader had released such a statement.
He said Mohamad was “pressuring” the prime minister to call for the next general election immediately at a time when the government was stable after the MoU signed with Pakatan Harapan last year.
“He (Mohamad) has issued an ultimatum that if the prime minister fails to convince the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to call for GE15 immediately, then he has to resign.
“What kind of statement is this? This statement seems to be putting pressure on the prime minister. I regret it has come from one of my party’s top leaders.
“This statement can affect the stability of the government as well as prevent the prime minister from focusing on his duties to deliver his best to the people.”
Tajuddin also asked how Ismail was going to focus on carrying out the various government initiatives if he was constantly under pressure to call for GE15.
“So, stop doing that. I am sorry. I know that I am just a small guy in the party, but I have to speak out on this matter in the Dewan,” he said.
Earlier in the week, FMT reported that Mohamad, also known as Tok Mat, said his party would continue to push for an early general election whether or not Barisan Nasional (BN) scored a major victory in the Johor state elections on March 12.
He said assumptions that Umno would demand for a general election to be called if it won big in Johor were untrue.
“Deciding to push the prime minister (to dissolve Parliament and trigger a general election) does not come down to Umno’s performance in Johor.”
He said Umno would urge Ismail to dissolve Parliament regardless of whether BN wins big or loses in Johor.
“We want to push (for Parliament to be dissolved) but, in the end, it is up to the prime minister to decide,” he said at a press conference in Machap, Johor.
Continuing his debate, Tajuddin asked Pekan MP Najib Razak to respect the decision made by the government not to allow any more withdrawals from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
Najib had been pushing for a withdrawal of up to RM10,000 under the i-Citra scheme to help people suffering from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Although I defended his right to deliver his speech uninterrupted (from opposition MPs) just now, that does not mean that I support his suggestion on the EPF withdrawal.
“The prime minister and the Cabinet have made a decision. So, Yang Berhormat Pekan should respect the government’s decision.
“The government did not make such a decision only for the benefit of certain parties. They made that decision for all Malaysians so that they will not deplete their EPF savings as this would land them in more trouble in the near future.”
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