UMNO pushing early GE15, Is It for the sake of the people or the party? : Nazri

KOTA KINABALU, MAC 19: Padang Rengas Member of Parliment (MP) Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz questions United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) intention for pushing early for 15th General Election (GE15) whether if it is for the sake of the people or for the party.

Nazri also implied that he did not see the urgency in the situation since the prime minister himself is a member of UMNO.

The vocal lawmaker said the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition risked appearing like it had abandoned the people, which it had pledged to put first in the pandemic, if the call for a premature general election was heeded.

“I thought that our party defends the people. BN “prioritizes” the people. But until we see an opportunity to win big (despite the current public health crisis), is this for the sake of the people or is it for the sake of the party?“

“Please use your brain. Don’t let a slogan just be a slogan. When it turns into a reality, we become opportunists,”

“Suddenly, we see an opportunity to win like we did in Johor and Melaka We have to ask the people; it is they who are suffering,” he said to reporters on the sidelines of his party’s general meeting at the World Trade Centre (WTC).

Furthermore , he commented on his party colleagues who are pushing for an early general election, Nazri said there are terms in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the government and the Opposition bloc that had yet to be met, one of which he cited as the anti party-hopping law.

“If today we announce that we would like an early election to happen, it does not show that we are sincere about implementing the law,” added the former law minister.

Recently , Nazri called out Umno leaders not to overstep their authority in pushing for the 15th general election (GE15) to be held this year.

While he did not mention names, but it is understood that Nazri was referring to Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan’s opening speech on Wednesday for the party’s wings, in which he said it would be ideal for GE15 to take place this year, as Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) should “strike at enemies when they are weak”.