Calls To Postpone Polls Must Be Assessed Realistically - Fuziah

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- Calls to postpone the Melaka and Johor state elections need to be assessed realistically, particularly if the reason for the delay is linked to geopolitical factors, said PKR secretary-general Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh.

She said the matter must take into account the time limits within which an election can be postponed and the implications involved.

“If the reason for postponement is geopolitical developments, we must realise that such conditions take time (to resolve) and have no fixed end point.

“Similarly, postponing elections also has its limits; they cannot be delayed indefinitely,” she told reporters after appearing as a guest on a Bernama Radio programme here today.

Previously, Pontian MP Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan was reported as saying he would bring a motion to postpone the Johor and Melaka state elections to the UMNO Supreme Council meeting following the geopolitical crisis in West Asia.

Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong, who is also the state DAP chairman, had proposed that the Melaka government submit a petition to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to declare an emergency to postpone the state election following the global supply crisis.

Elaborating, Fuziah, who is also Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, said any decision regarding state elections must consider current realities and that political parties must be prepared to face elections when the time comes.

“Let’s face it when we need to face it,” she said.

The five-year term of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly will expire this December while that of the Johor legislature will end in April next year.

On another matter, Fuziah said PKR has received several formal complaints regarding incidents during party division meetings, including in Puchong where some disorder was alleged.

She said all complaints would be reviewed by a special committee before any official decision is made.

“So far, the Secretary-General’s Office has not made any decision on whether to validate or annul the division meeting. We still need to examine each case individually, as it would be unfair to rely on reports from only one side,” she said.

According to media reports, the Puchong division annual general meeting on April 19 was held in a disorderly manner with incidents of commotion, prompting grassroots leaders to call for the meeting to be annulled and reheld.

-- BERNAMA