‘Fatal’ if Umno thinks it can win an early general election, says Kit Siang

 

Lim Kit Siang says Umno and Barisan Nasional’s ultimate goal of having an earlier general election is for them to obtain a two-thirds majority to govern the country on their own.

PETALING JAYA: Umno is likely to call a general election early next year given its big win in the Melaka state polls, says DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang.

However, he said such a plan could prove “fatal”, noting that the national situation might be vastly different from the scenario in Melaka.

In a statement, Lim noted that Barisan Nasional had won its seats in Melaka with a slim majority, with 12 seats having majorities of less than 1,000 votes.

Of these, seven were against Pakatan Harapan and five against Perikatan Nasional, he said.

Hence, BN’s win in Melaka was merely a matter of “chance” and not a foregone conclusion, he added.

Lim said former prime minister Najib Razak’s RM100 million land issue did not impact the outcome of the polls as it emerged at the tail-end of the campaign.

He also said that voter turnout was low — at 65.85% compared to 66.61% for the Sabah state election last September, adding that another 10% to 15% of Melaka voters would have come out if there had been another week of campaigning.

Lim said the country would learn in the coming weeks if Umno would hold early polls.

He said the ultimate goal of having an earlier general election was for Umno and Barisan Nasional to obtain a two-thirds majority to allow them to govern the country on their own.

“(They could) even free the top Umno leaders from corruption charges if the 15th general election is held in early 2022. But this could prove to be a fatal mistake.

“It may be a serious misjudgment to expect a repeat of the Melaka state election results.” - FMT