GEORGE TOWN: Penang PKR prefers that the Pakatan Rakyat government not call for a snap state election but rather hold one at the end of its current five-year term.
State PKR secretary Abdul Halim Hussain said the party did not want the state government to hold an election this year merely to run simultaneously with a possible snap parliamentary election.
He added that Pakatan should not play into the game plan laid out by the Barisan Nasional federal government to hold a snap federal polls this year.
Halim pointed out that the people voted for a five-year mandate in the 2008 general election for Pakatan to rule the state.
Therefore, he said, there was no reason for the Pakatan state government helmed by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to rush into seeking a new mandate.
“It will only be appropriate for us to complete the full term before calling for an election to seek a fresh mandate,” he added.
Moreover, he said, Penangites should be given enough time to enjoy and evaluate the benefits and progress achieved from the policies implemented by the new Pakatan administration.
“Three years are not sufficient… only five years will allow the people to judge us correctly,” he added.
Halim, who is also the State Legislative Assembly speaker, said the Penang PKR leadership had already conveyed its views on the issue to the state Pakatan leadership.
In principle, he said, the Pakatan leadership was responsive to the idea of completing a full five-year rule.
However, he added that the Pakatan leadership was keeping its options open “because anything can happen in politics”.
“We have to leave the options open due to uncertainty in the rapidly changing political climate and conditions,” he said.
Ready for elections
Nevertheless, he said the state PKR was all geared up to face any possible simultaneous snap polls both at the federal and state levels.
He said that PKR had already established its election machinery units across the state. The units were scheduled to be fully operational by the end of this month.
“The state election machinery will be the coordinating body for all units,” said Abdul Halim, who is also the PKR Balik Pulau division chief.
Some 4,000 party members, comprising at least 100 in each state constituency, would be given intensive election training from next month to undertake various electoral works.
The state PKR would train election room operators, polling and counting agents, rally organisers, grassroots strategists, campaigners, and also, intelligence agents, who would identify Pakatan supporters, non-supporters and fence-sitters.
He said Pakatan allies – PKR, DAP and PAS – must operate collectively as a cohesive team to boost public confidence so that it was a more viable coalition government than BN.
“People are watching us to see whether we can work together or not. We have to prove and convince them that Pakatan is a mature and solid coalition,” Abdul Halim said. - FMT
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