KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 — Kedah will not opt for dissolution of its legislative assembly simultaneously with Parliament if it is to pave way for elections this year.
Its Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said he had conveyed his concern of risky monsoonal floods to state Ruler Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah last Tuesday, Sinar Harian reported today.
Muhammad Sanusi said the decision against dissolving the state assembly was made after taking into account the Meteorological Department’s forecast of widespread flooding as a result of the year-end monsoon storms.
“Tuanku knows that it is the authority of the mentri besar and it is up to the mentri besar. That's all I could say for now,” he was quoted telling reporters in Alor Setar, Kedah yesterday.
He added that his state government had received the Meteorological Department’s weather report, and noted the high risks should elections be called this year during the monsoon season.
“It's hard to predict. Right now, there hasn't been a drought for four months and rain has been pouring in the past three months. The drought and rain are uncertain.
“All the agencies were involved when the Meteorological Department made a forecast that there will be major floods from October to March. However, some parties have been invited to campaign during the flood.
“Even if the flood recedes, we need to wait for the tide to recede. When the relevant department said the floods will be until March, then hold the general election in April so that everyone else can go to vote and it will be easy for us to campaign also,” he was quoted as saying.
PAS, which also controls Kelantan and Terengganu, have previously indicated that it is not in favour of elections this year but is only expected to make an official announcement today.
The Islamist party is a component of the Perikatan Nasional coalition together with Bersatu, but has been courting Umno, which is the lynchpin party of the Barisan Nasional coalition, to win over the country’s dominant Malay Muslim community in the next national election that must be held by September 2023.
