Will Najib dare to dissolve Parliament?
YOURSAY ‘Umno may be at its lowest ebb but opposition too is in trouble.’
Analyst: Najib more likely to call snap polls
Vijay47: I believe that there is a fatal weakness in Ideas chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan’s premise that should PM Najib Razak call for snap elections, Umno will rally around Umno.
Some would, but it would hardly be for the preservation of the party itself but like former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself fears, to save their rotten hides. Many in the civil service and the upper echelons of the police force would be terrified of what lies in store for them.
Nevertheless, there would also be that substantial element, within and outside Umno, which, seeing the walls cracking, the tiles falling and sensing that a fresh breeze is blowing, may decide that it would be better to jump the Bugis ship and be seen as ardent supporters of Pakatan Rakyat than remain with their current masters.
Is Pakatan all that raw and untested as some allege? Yes, it does have its hiccups, it may not have 50 years of rule by abuse and corruption but the present Penang and Selangor are pretty tough acts to follow.
Justine Gow: A snap election when the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) are still hot issues and at a time when public perception of the PM is at a very low point? I doubt so.
From his past behaviour, more likely, Najib will try to wheel and deal (I help you, you help me) with the warlords in his party to stay on, even if it is for just one more day.
Anonymous_1425871172: If I am Najib, I will call for snap poll. That means if I go down, everyone in BN and Mahathir go down with me as well. This way, everyone in BN will have no choice but to support Najib to win the election.
Furthermore, with PAS damaging the Pakatan coalition, Najib stands a higher chance of winning and continue as PM.
Fair Play: A political analyst should consider all factors, not just domestic. Is the economy growing?
There is talk that Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) might pose a problem because of alleged human trafficking issues in Malaysia, amongst others.
And what about the ringgit once the Federal Reserve raises interest rates in the United States and the possible sovereign rating downgrade by international rating agencies? The list could on.
Headhunter: Whatever steps that Najib is going to take depends entirely on Mahathir's war plan. Najib has to watch Mahathir like a hawk.
Meanwhile, he will probably make every effort, by hook or by crook, to influence those with doubtful loyalty to him.
The horse-trading game will start all over again. It'll be an expensive exercise, just like when he got opposition members to defect in Perak.
Cantabrigian: Such a simplistic view from Wan Saiful. BN is at its weakest point in its entire history with Umno plagued by idiocy, MCA a gone case and MIC being avoided like a leper on his deathbed, so why would BN call for a snap poll now?
Despite Umno is full of fools, they won't stoop to that level of surrendering their political power just to appease Najib's self-doubt; they would rather abandon Najib than letting their sacred party being slaughtered by the raging rakyat.
GST is killing BN's popularity whilst Pakatan is enjoying their popcorns and 1MDB reveals heart-stopping news on a daily basis, BN won't stand a chance to survive any more election and Pakatan, despite their internal conflict, will win by default.
Najib will be kicked out very, very soon.
The Analyser: Cantabrigian, Umno may be at its lowest ebb but there is no opposition of any substance.
Even in the astronomically unbelievable chance that an opposition of opportunistic individuals managed to wrest power from Umno, they wouldn't have a clue where to start governing.
The whole public service would be against them plus vested interests from all corners of the country would be out to undermine them, to say nothing of their already proven incompetence.
Under normal circumstances in the Westminster system of government, continuity lies in the public service, who in fact are the keepers of the country. Not so in Malaysia where individual egos think they know more than the combined intelligence of the public service.
And you have seen where that has got the country. In summary, an opposition doesn't need to have any experience because they can tap into the knowledge base and planning of the public service. But not in Malaysia, where everyone thinks they are an expert on everything.
Firestone: Pakatan must quickly put its house in order - remove Abdul Hadi Awang or remove PAS. There is no other choice.
Shanandoah: Firestone has said the right thing. Pakatan must get rid of Hadi and PAS. There is no place for them in a secular country.
DAP must take the lead as they were responsible in helping PAS win many seats in Parliament.
Malaysians have had enough of religious bigotry in the country. And there is Wan Azizah who can speak for Pakatan.
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