Najib: Umno meant to support Perikatan for only one year, but fresh elections promise not honoured

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Umno and Barisan Nasional had wanted fresh elections to be held after the Sheraton Move in February 2020 which triggered the Pakatan Harapan government’s collapse, but eventually supported the current Perikatan Nasional administration with the understanding that general elections would be held after one year, Datuk Seri Najib Razak claimed today.

Najib, who was Umno president up to May 2018, said however that the snap polls did not materialise as the government has cited the state of Emergency imposed on Malaysia since January 2021.

“Let me make it clear, and this is an important point, that we, Umno and BN, our position was unambiguous, we wanted Parliament to be dissolved, in order to return the mandate to the rakyat, to the people.

“However the rulers refused, so we were left with no option but to support the current government for one year with the condition that at the expiration of the stipulated time, a fresh election must be held. 

“But since the current government has failed to honour this one-year condition, we are now left with a tyranny of the minority as Parliament cannot be dissolved during the current state of Emergency,” he said in his speech at the Malaysia Democracy Forum today.

“Make no mistake, Malaysia is the only country in the world that has suspended Parliament and suspended the Constitution with the excuse that we need to fight Covid. 

“To make matters worse, the current government gave the excuse that there are too many old people in Parliament — not sure whether it includes me — to refuse holding Parliament sessions despite the Yang di-Pertuan Agong declaring that Parliament can resume during the Emergency.

“As the English would say, bollocks,” he added, in dismissing the reasons given by the current Perikatan Nasional government.

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