Malaysia’s PM dissolves parliament, calls for provisional polls

Umno, the largest party in the ruling coalition, is at odds with its allies and aims for a big win of its own. Ismail said he met on Sunday with King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmed Shah, who agreed to dissolve. He said he decided to run the polls ahead of time to counter criticism of his government’s legitimacy — the third since the 2018 polls. “With this announcement, the mission will be returned to the people. The mission of the people is a powerful antidote to a firm and stable government,” Ismail said in a televised announcement.

The Electoral Commission is expected to meet within a week to announce the polling date, which must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of parliament. In a statement issued by the palace, Sultan Abdullah expressed hope that elections can be held quickly, as the year-end monsoon season, which begins in mid-November, often brings devastating floods. The monarch, who left to visit London late on Sunday, said he had no choice but to grant Ismail’s request so people could vote for a stable government.

Umno’s allies in the government and opposition parties have protested plans for elections during the monsoon season, which killed more than 50 people and displaced thousands last year. But Umno’s top leader recently decided that polls must be held this year in order for Umno to capitalize on support for ethnic Malay voters, a chaotic opposition, and ahead of an expected softening of the economy next year.

“Ismail Sabri bowed to pressure from his party, Umno, to serve as prime minister for the shortest term and to enter the country for polls during a dangerous season of monsoon floods,” said Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert at the University of Nottingham in Malaysia.

“Umno sees it as having an advantage in early polls and has kept the pressure on as they look to return to power with a dominant party,” she said. Umno has led Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957, but in 2018 Billions of people were defeated in the 2019 election – a dollar financial scandal in which former prime minister Najib Razak was jailed for 12 years for embezzlement.

The party’s current chairman, Ahmed Zahid Hamidi, is also on trial for corruption. Umno returned to power in March 2020 as part of a predominantly Muslim coalition government after the reformist coalition led by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad collapsed due to defections. With a slim majority in parliament and a shaky new government, then-Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was forced to resign 17 months later after some Umno lawmakers withdrew their support for him.

A customer watches a live announcement of Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob at an electronics store in Kuala Lumpur, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Muhyiddin’s deputy Ismail was appointed by the king to take over the helm in August 2021, returning the prime ministership to Umno. But Umno remains at odds with Muhyiddin’s Bersatu party and another Islamist ally, both vying for the support of ethnic Malay Muslims, who make up more than 60 percent of Malaysia’s 33 million people. In his speech on Monday, Ismail also called for the dissolution of the state assembly so that state polls could be held concurrently. Three Umno-run states will follow suit, but the other six, controlled by the opposition and allies in Ismail’s government, said they would wait until next year. Four of the country’s 13 states held polls earlier.

Unlike in 2018, when the opposition was united under Mahathir, UMNO believes it has an advantage when the opposition is fragmented. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan, which won the 2018 polls, is the main contender but has no support from Mahathir. Mahathir formed his own Malay party, and a number of other smaller parties emerged.

Umno’s victories in several by-elections also led to confidence that Malays who voted for Mahathir in 2018 would rejoin the party. Some critics have accused Zahid of speeding up the election to seek a favorable trial outcome, which he denies.

“This is UMNO’s election to the people. It’s about Zahid as prime minister to restore the old order that was defeated in the 2018 general election,” said opposition lawmaker Liu Zhendong.

The dissolution came three days after the Ismail government unveiled a proposed budget for 2023 that promised cash and other benefits. Parliament has yet to pass the budget and the new government will have to prepare new proposals. UMNO is expected to use generous budgetary promises to win over electoral support, with Ismail saying Monday that everyone will benefit from it.

Still, Umno could face public outrage for rushing to vote during the monsoon season. Heavy rains and thunderstorms have caused flooding in some parts of the country. Mahathir’s Pejuang party slammed Umno for calling for provisional polls despite flood risks. It urged people to “reject Umno and send them a clear message that the country belongs to the people.” “Ironically, by going through (the election), the opposition got a boost,” Wales said.