GE14 | Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's schedule this week points to a likely dissolution of Parliament this Friday.
Going by precedence, the BN manifesto is normally announced on a Saturday of the same week when Parliament is dissolved.
For the 13th general election, Parliament was dissolved on April 3, 2013, a Wednesday, and the BN manifesto was unveiled three days later.
The BN manifesto for the 14th general election will be unveiled this Saturday at Bukit Jalil Stadium.
Najib has a packed schedule from tomorrow onwards until Thursday, leaving Friday as the likely day for dissolution.
Coincidentally, the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara sittings will only end on Thursday, by which time all government bills would have been passed.
Furthermore, Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz revealed that the cabinet meeting on Wednesday had been postponed to Friday, according to Sin Chew Daily.
Prior to the last general election, Najib had announced the dissolution of Parliament after the cabinet meeting, together with the entire government lineup in Putrajaya.
According to Najib's schedule, he will be on a whirlwind visit to northern Johor tomorrow where he will officiate the Gemas-Johor Bahru double-tracking project, a key government initiative.
He will also be launching the Muar Furniture Park and break ground for an affordable housing project in Labis.
Najib will briefly return to Putrajaya on Wednesday where he is expected to deliver a special message to civil servants at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre, an important vote bank for BN.
In the evening, he will fly to Sarawak to meet with community leaders at Pullman Hotel, Miri.
Longhouse chiefs from across the state are expected to gather there and Najib is expected to seek their support. At night, he will also be meeting with the general public at a golf club there.
The following day, Najib will officiate the Baram bridge and later oversee the handover of the Bakun hydroelectric power plant in Belaga.
Both areas had seen grumblings against the BN due dam projects.
In the last general election, BN won the Baram parliamentary seat by a razor-thin majority of 194-votes.
BN's Anyi Ngau polled 9,182 votes to PKR's Roland Engan who garnered 8,988. The independent candidate got 363 votes, which could have cost BN the seat if the candidate did not contest.
Before the 2016 Sarawak election, former chief minister, the late Adenan Satem, scrapped the Baram dam, putting to rest a controversial project.
Meanwhile, the Bakun dam, was completed in 2011. Initially owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc), the Sarawak government purchased the facility for RM2.5 billion.
Najib, who is also finance minister, will oversee the transfer of the dam to Sarawak Energy Berhad during his visit.
In evening, he will also conduct a walkabout at Esplanade Bekenu.
By Friday, Najib will be back in Putrajaya on Friday to chair the cabinet meeting, where he could also announce the dissolution of Parliament.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan had also indicated that Parliament could be dissolved this week.
Following the dissolution of Parliament, a general election must be called within two months.
However, the polling date is widely expected to be set before May 15, so as to avoid the holy month of Ramadan. -Mkini
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