It said there was no reason for Ismail to ask the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament to make way for the 15th general election (GE15) since he was not facing any vote of no-confidence in Dewan Rakyat.
“Any move by the prime minister to seek an early dissolution of Parliament, in the absence of a vote of no-confidence against him, will be seen as a capitulation to the demands of the Umno leaders for their own self-interests,” G25 said in a statement.
Although it noted that Malaysia was facing political instability, it maintained that it was not the right time to hold GE15 in view of the economic downturn.
It said Putrajaya should spend the remaining months of this parliamentary term to work on the budget and hold discussions with MPs on tackling economic issues, like the declining ringgit.
Earlier today, Utusan Malaysia reported that Cabinet members were divided over a proposal to hold GE15 this year, and that the Umno ministers’ push for early polls had been shot down by their colleagues, especially those from Perikatan Nasional.
A minister who wished to remain anonymous told the Malay daily that Bersatu and PAS ministers were against holding GE15 this year as they wanted the government to focus on the economy and flood disaster management.
In August, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan claimed that Ismail promised GE15 would not be held next year.
G25 also urged Putrajaya to make use of the remaining parliamentary term to introduce further institutional reforms to prevent corruption and leakages.
It said there should be no delays in the implementation of the anti-hopping law and the tabling of a political financing bill so that legislations were in place by the time GE15 was held.
In March, Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir also called for the current Parliament to run until May 2023, saying there was no need for an early GE15 since only “certain factions in Umno” were calling for it.
Two months later, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang made the same call, stressing that Putrajaya should be allowed to govern and carry out its responsibilities until the parliamentary term expired.