Postpone GE15 and extend govt-PH MoU, DAP suggests

10 March 2022

By Farah Salim

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob should postpone the 15th General Election (GE15) in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, said DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke Siew Fook.

Loke who is also the Seremban MP said GE15 should be held after the Parliament session ends instead which is on December 15.

He also indicated that it is to avoid Covid-19 spread as could be seen in the recent Johor State Elections where several candidates have tested positive.

Meanwhile, he also suggested that Ismail Sabri extend the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed between the government and Pakatan Harapan (PH).

“I would like to suggest to Bera (Ismail) that after the anti-hopping law is passed, why don’t we discuss extending the MoU until after July 31 … we can call it, MoU 2.0.

“We can have an agreement that while Covid-19 is still spreading, we can postpone the general election until after this session of Parliament,” he said while speaking at the Dewan Rakyat today.

According to Loke, among the issues that MoU 2.0 could tackle is a Constituency Development Fund Act, which would ensure that all parliamentary constituencies receive equal allocations.

Under current practice, development funds for government MPs are many times more than what opposition members receive. The funds are used at their discretion on constituency projects. Government MPs also receive funds for running their service centres.

“After this, it’s not just about an MoU or policy. Every parliamentary constituency, no matter if it voted for the government or opposition, is given equal funding … every term, every government, and it doesn’t matter who is in government.

“This is an important and fair agenda for the rakyat,” he stressed.

In September 2021, the government spearheaded by Ismail Sabri and PH have signed the MoU to restore political stability following a change of government where according to PKR, 13 of the 18 items in the MoU had been implemented so far.