BN now mulls snap polls in Q2 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 25 — The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) is considering to hold snap polls in the second quarter of 2011, contrary to speculation that the 13th general election could be held during the March school holidays.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Prime Minster Datuk Seri Najib Razak met with BN component leaders in parliament on December 16 to discuss possible dates in hold the next general election.

It is learnt that the results of the coming Tenang state by-election in the Umno’s Johor political fortress next January 30 could hold a bearing on the date for the polls. The seat fell vacant when state assemblyman Datuk Sulaiman Taha died on December 17, a day after the top-level BN meeting.

“MCA president (Datuk Seri) Chua Soi Lek and MIC president (Datuk G.) Palanivel were present together with other component party leaders and they discussed holding the election either in April or June,” a source told The Malaysian Insider.

The leaders met on the same day that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and three PKR lawmakers were suspended for six months from parliament.

Anwar received the boot for claiming earlier this year that Najib’s public relations consultants APCO Worldwide had been behind both the 1 Malaysia and One Israel concepts. Najib has denied the claims.

While lawmakers R. Sivarasa, Azmin Ali and Karpal Singh were suspended for contempt for revealing and discussing the proceedings of the Rights and Privileges Committee on Anwar’s APCO claims.

Yesterday, Anwar claimed that his comment on APCO was not about questioning who created 1 Malaysia but accountability in choosing the public relations strategist as it involved public funds.

Anwar has used his suspension as campaign fodder in several ceramahs around the country, saying it was related to snap polls that could be held as early as March 2011. Several other opposition leaders have also echoed his prediction.

But Johor Baru MP Datuk Shahrir Samad hinted last week that the election will be held in the second quarter and said that Najib wanted to see more results from the policies that he had introduced before calling for an election.

“Thus, it (the general election) will not be held so soon, maybe it will be held in the later part of 2011 or even beyond that,” the former Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister told reporters.

Last month, Najib announced that Umno’s party polls scheduled for next year would be put off by 18 months.

Since then both MCA and Gerakan have agreed to postpone party election and this appear to be part of the moves to put BN on an election footing without the distraction of party polls. Even DAP, which is allied with PKR and PAS, has postponed central party elections for 18 months.

Umno has toned down its race rhetoric while a BN convention was held recently to chart the ruling coalition’s strategies ahead of elections.

BN lost its traditional two-thirds parliamentary majority in Election 2008, and Najib, who became prime minister after Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was pressured to resign, is understood to be keen on winning his own mandate.

The ruling federal coalition has won only five out of 13 by-elections held since the March 2008 general elections but is expected to retain the Tenang seat against PAS, which will represent Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the vote.