Bracing for early state election?

KUCHING: There is a possibility that the one-day State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting on Aug 17 is an indicator of an early state election. According to DUN speaker Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar, though the upcoming sitting is a constitutional requirement, one cannot rule out the possibility that it is a prelude to an early election.

“This DUN sitting is a constitution requirement because it cannot go beyond six months in order to have the November budget sitting. On the other hand, one-day sittings were indicators of an early election in the past and therefore one cannot preclude the possibility that it is a prelude to an early election,” he told reporters when met after attending the state-level Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration at Dewan Majma’ Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah here yesterday.

However, he remained coy on whether the main agenda for the sitting would be on the next state election.

“If you ask Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem when is the date of the next state election, he will put a smile on his handsome poker face,” he quipped. Meanwhile, Asfia also emphasised that the one-day sitting did not necessarily mean that it would focus on negative issues.

“It may not be mandatorily about impeachment or national disasters. It can also be a positive sitting which is good for the nation, the country and leave a good taste in the mouth of most of the members.” Asked on whether the Aug 17 sitting would be the first to be held in one day, Asfia pointed out that there were one-day sittings in the past.

“From the beginning of the year to the end there is a session and each session is made up of meetings; each meeting is made of sittings. So this sitting will be a meeting with one-day sitting. It is exclusively on government business under Standing Order (12) and government business takes precedence over any other business,” he explained.