YOURSAY | Malacca polls could be GE litmus test

YOURSAY | ‘Will Malacca CM get a second bite at the cherry?’

Snap polls in Malacca, state assembly dissolved

Vijay47: Not that any new government, even Pakatan Harapan, can be relied upon; such is the credibility of that pack of avaricious wolves known as politicians.

But why was the Malacca legislative assembly dissolved - an application that Malacca Governor Ali Rustam seemed quick to agree to?

I am not sure about state assembly protocol but I would expect that just like in Parliament under similar circumstances, a chief minister who has lost majority support should tender his resignation.

This leaves someone else who believes he commands the support of the majority to stake his claim to form the new government. Which can then be tested by a vote of confidence on the floor. This did not happen in Malacca.

Why did outgoing chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali ask for the assembly to be dissolved? Nowhere is it stated that every time a leader loses support, fresh elections have to be held.

In this cunning way, the Malacca chief minister is getting a second bite at the cherry.

Having lost the support of the assemblypersons, he hopes that elections during these troubled Covid-ridden times may bring him better fortune. No doubt with his accomplices in Kuala Lumpur pouring in millions so that he can get a fresh lease of life.

Has “vote of confidence” become such an offensive concept now? Maybe other than the two in Kuala Lumpur, there is a third brother in Malacca.

BobbyO: Bersatu and Umno got their wish fulfilled sooner than they can wink.

With the Malacca polls 60 days from now, it will give them an opportunity to prove which party can command the majority.

It also shows the people how crazy both parties are when it comes to power. Even in the same team, there are still disagreements within their ranks.

And even when the Covid-19 situation has not been brought under complete control, the infighting within the BN-Perikatan Nasional coalition has now forced the administration to call for new polls in the state.

The nation prays that this time this does not lead to another Covid-19 inferno like what happened after the Sabah election last year.

In the end, it is politicians and their politicking that create the problem. What are these politicians thinking?

What a time to have elections when the numbers are finally sliding downwards. There is no way whatever standard operating procedure (SOP) is put in place can it be followed strictly, especially during a campaign period.

Let us pray that in 60 days, 100 percent are vaccinated and the number of positive cases drops to single digits.

Dr Suresh Kumar: What I feared has happened. Selfish political vultures have shown the middle finger to the precious health of the people of Malacca by calling for snap polls when the country is still reeling from a high number of reported Covid-19 cases daily.

Did not they learn from Penang? Breakthrough infections have been increasing in Penang, with the fully inoculated comprising 59 percent of 863 new Covid-19 cases in Penang on Sept 29.

This is a disaster waiting to happen. Malacca is a small state with poor medical infrastructures to handle mass admission.

Indeed, no political campaigns should be allowed. Seal off the borders of the state. The poor people of Malacca are going to pay a hefty price for this imbecility.

Maya: If good sense had prevailed, the decision to call for a snap election could have been averted.

This should have been decided even before the instability created by the elected representatives. These elected representatives keep on playing politics, instead of looking after the wellbeing of the people. All they could have done is hold on till conditions and situations are more favourable.

This clearly shows health and safety are the least of their concerns. The pandemic is just about settling down. The fact that 80 percent of the adult population being vaccinated in the state is suddenly used as a yardstick as "all is well" to hold an election.

The head of state too should have considered other avenues, knowing the risk when he himself is under quarantine.

An election during a pandemic will come to nought as the same politicians will be elected back and keep on hopping, with no respect for the people. Why? Because there will be no one else to elect, and they take things for granted.

BrownCheetah9736: Firstly, the governor said he was under quarantine. Then while in supposed quarantine, he dissolved the state assembly. So, it was a deceit to not meet the Pakatan Harapan assemblypersons, which he could have done via Zoom?

Secondly, there are all these inconsistencies in state decisions. Whilst the royalty in Perak previously preferred to appoint the party they felt had the majority, the states governed by governors (like Sabah and now Malacca) seem to prefer elections.

At some point, these rulings need to be settled once and for all by the Federal Court.

Gaji Buta: If you can change the country's government twice without an election, why do you need an election for state government?

Headhunter: Here we go again, being held ransom by rogue politicians. It's time to tighten the law so that those who resigned or jumped to another party should be barred for at least two terms from contesting in an election again.

YellowCat1156: To all Malaccans, the choice is yours. All I can say is your wellbeing and that of your family is not worth the risk come election day. They, the politicians and their politics, are not worth potentially risking your lives for.

It's deja vu and a nightmare for all frontliners, who are just beginning to have some breathing space.

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