COMMENT | As soon as the dust settled after the Malacca state election, I could sense that Umno would push for a snap poll in Johor.

On Nov 22 last year, I wrote: “The Malacca election result is unlikely to bring Umno and Bersatu closer. The Umno troika (former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and deputy president Mohamad Hasan) is pushing for an early election, as indicated by Mohamad’s statement.

“They will continue to pressure Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to dissolve Parliament as soon as the first quarter of 2022.

“Ismail Sabri, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa, and a few other Umno leaders are among those seen not to be in sync with the troika-led Umno core leadership. Ismail Sabri would certainly not want to dissolve Parliament so early into his tenure.

“If the Umno troika doesn’t get their way at the federal level, will they...