By Timmy Say

If there are no charges against the chief, will they propose the snap election?

Obviously not.

This is similar to a question previously asked: “Would there be a new party if they did not lose all in the party election? Again, the answer is no.”

The snap election proposed by the ruling party in Penang has nothing to do with saving the country because it is not a parliamentary election.

Neither is it about the island’s future, as the island is solidly under the Federal Opposition with a 30-to-10-seat margin.

Is this snap election going to push the margin to above 30 seats for the Federal Opposition?

With three-cornered fights looming, the obvious answer is again, no.

If this snap election is about a show of power that people want to rally behind the island’s chief in the face of prosecution over his personal dealings, how can scoring lower than 30 seats help to send that message?

And with less than 30 seats, which means a weaker state government, how does it help the future of the island?

So, it has to be some other reason.

As usual, the unspoken ones are not those listed and written in an open letter. What is written is what they want us to believe. And usually the real reason and motive is concealed from the public.

So, what is the real reason behind the snap election proposal?

Take a step back and ask yourself: If the chief goes down in the graft case against him, who stands to gain the most? The number two man in his own party or the number two man in his own government?

Against this backdrop, ask yourself why the party and its proxy continue to pressure the other partners to agree to the proposal of a snap election?

Because they are not among the biggest beneficiaries, but their partner is, being the second in line in the island government, if the island chief does indeed go down before the next general election.

However, the threat of this partner can be greatly reduced if a snap election is held, where this partner is expected to lose heavily.

So, either way will do.

Either this partner agrees to a plan that aims to further weaken itself in the island, or they rely on media pressure to weaken their partner by shattering their image, thus reducing its right to claim the benefits coming from the fall of the chief.

The aim of the snap election is to protect the position of the chief. But to protect it from what? Well, you can make your own chauvinistic guess.

Timmy Say is an FMT reader.

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