Calls for fixed election date

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Dr Ong Kian Ming

KUCHING: Fixing the date of general elections will not only cut out speculations and give certainty on the polls but also stabilise the country’s economy and encourage foreign investment.

Associate Prof Dr Andrew Aeria of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak said Malaysia should move beyond its current electoral system to allow for fairer elections.

He suggested April 30 be made the day when Malaysian voters decide who would lead the country.

“The current parliamentary term expires April next year. Why can we not have April 30 as the election date? The only argument of not endorsing a date is that they want the advantage of calling for election when the condition is conducive for the ruling party. When you do that the election is not fair.

“Once a polling date is fixed, there will be no more snap polls. After you finish a term of five years, run for another election simple as that,” he said by phone here yesterday.

He was asked to respond to a recent call by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who said the date for polls should be fixed to promote certainty for the business community.

Aeria pointed out that what Lim had proposed “is nothing new” given that academicians in Malaysia had the same opinion for some years.

“It is about time the government of the day fixes a date for elections because the current system is disruptive to economic, politics and social life.

Wong Ho Leng

“It is especially disruptive to international businessmen who have no certainty of the country’s policy. So it is best they fix the date.”

Citing the United States as an example, he said Americans cast their votes in November every four years. In Germany and Australia, the governments have semi-fixed electoral system.

“The guessing game is bad because instead of focusing on substantive issues, newspapers and people end up guessing the election date, which is a waste of time.

For political analyst Dr Ong Kian Ming, there are many advantages to having a fixed election date.

Ong, who is a lecturer at UCSI University, said a fixed polling date would enable the government to lay out proper plans and budgets besides decreasing uncertainty among investors and the public.

“However, details need to be worked out, like process for calling elections if there was a loss of confidence in the government.

Supporting Lim’s idea was Sibu MP Wong Ho Leng, who opined that the date to determine the next government should not be the prerogative of one man.

“When the Prime Minister alone decides the date, more than 10 million voters are left to guess. That is what we call uncertainty.

Wong, who is also Bukit Assek assemblyman and DAP Sarawak chief, said Malaysians had been guessing the election date since March last year.

Wong said both BN and PR MPs could propose in Parliament to make amendments to the Federal Constitution, but added that “it is unlikely for BN to support if we make the proposal.”

Larry Sng

However, Sarawak Workers Party president Larry Sng asserted that the prime minister should maintain the prerogative to call for elections.

“In the past for Malaysia, there hasn’t been much of an issue. However, the current term has recorded the longest running term in Malaysian history, as a result, there has been several speculations about the timing of the election.

“Speculations started from November last year, into March this year and some have said it could be November or March next year. Because of that, much anxiety and uncertainty grow among the people which I think does have an impact on foreign investment.”

However he added: “Every election is bound to cause a certain degree of anxiety among investors and the public, and this was not much of a problem in the past.”