BN leaders meet on Saturday with polls on their mind

Najib was previously told not to equate his personal popularity with that of Umno’s. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — The Barisan Nasional (BN) supreme council will meet this Saturday to chart campaign plans as the ruling coalition prepares itself for a possible snap election next year.

Sources within BN told The Malaysian Insider that the coming months are deemed important as party leaders seek to take advantage of problems plaguing Pakatan Rakyat (PR), especially in PKR with the exit of Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Speculation is rife that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will call for a general election by the first half of next year and that the current parliamentary sitting may possibly be the last for the current administration.

“Everything is geared for the next general election,” a source told The Malaysian Insider when asked about the significance of the supreme council meeting.

BN are hoping to take advantage of the turmoil in PKR.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu is expected to exit the party in January while both MCA and Umno will embark on a nationwide tour to meet grassroots leaders and members across the country.

Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia also announced that it will identify its candidates for the next general election after the Chinese New Year in February.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently hinted at the possibility of snap polls being called in “a few months” during his winding-up speech at the Umno general assembly.

“I don’t know when the prime minister will call for the next general election, but we all know that there are only a few months left,” he said.

Najib, who is Umno president, also promised to look into appointments for state party chiefs and other posts to ensure members are motivated to keep the party in power.

However, BN is still looking to solve three pressing issues — the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) case, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s second sodomy trial, and Teoh Beng Hock’s mysterious death — before considering a call for snap elections.

The Malaysian Insider understands that BN leaders have privately agreed that these issues, together with the soft economy, need to be addressed before the ruling federal coalition is confident of dissolving Parliament for the country’s 13th general election, which is not due until March 2013.

The Malaysian Insider had also reported that Umno warlords and key aides have been telling Najib to delay any idea of snap polls to secure his personal mandate.

Opponents to an early election said Najib should not assume his personal popularity meant that Umno was now more acceptable to the people.

The prime minister’s approval ratings rose to 72 per cent in May, according to the last Merdeka Center survey, which said it was bolstered by a sense that the nation was headed in the right direction.

The country’s economy grew 9.5 per cent in the first half of the year and the Najib administration believes that Malaysia can exceed its six per cent growth target for 2010.

The ruling coalition was also given a major boost after it won the two by-elections in Galas and Batu Sapi earlier this month.

Political observers believe that the two by-election results showed that PR had lost its Election 2008 momentum, while Umno and BN seem to be steadily regaining their winning touch.

BN has up to May 2013 to call for the 13th general election, five years after the March 8, 2008 general election that cost the ruling federal coalition four more states and 82 federal seats. - Malaysian Insider