QUESTION TIME Embattled Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s sudden penchant for snap elections is strange - not only does he want to call for snap polls in Penang, he has challenged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to call one at the national level in view of the US Department of Justice’s revelations.

But really if snap elections were called, and Najib won, does it validate his position as prime minister and does that mean that he can continue to be prime minister if he gets a mandate from the people?

No, he still has to explain 1Malaysia Development Bhd or 1MDB and if the relevant authorities in Malaysia decide to press charges (which they are very unlikely to do since they so far have not in the face of overwhelming evidence), he has to face them and go through due process. At the very least the polls do not validate his moral authority as prime minister.

And if - and at this stage that’s got to be a rather questionable “if” - DAP and their coalition partners come out on top in the snap polls for Penang’s state assembly, it would mean that Lim will remain as chief minister - for the time being.

But does that mean that Lim does not face the due process of law and no longer has to defend himself in court over the corruption charges he faces? No, he still has to go through that. And if he is found guilty, he still will have to step down as chief minister. And even if the courts find him not guilty, is everyone going to think that he did no moral wrong? No.

Lim should know better than most people that winning an election and thereby obtaining an endorsement from the people so to speak does not necessarily mean that a person is above board. We all know that crooks and charlatans have been elected as people’s representatives many times over and that their mere reelection does not clear them of any potential wrongdoings they have committed.

A snap election should be called under difficult and trying conditions that makes it tricky to assess which party commands a majority in parliament or in the state assembly and could lead to stalemate in the legislature, not to consolidate the power of embattled individuals as prime minister or chief minister.

That is clearly demonstrated in parliamentary democracies similar to ours, for example the United Kingdom, where a national referendum called for the UK to leave the European Union. Prime Minister David Cameron resigned but a new leader was chosen from the ranks of the party and life goes on.

Australia routinely sees changes in leadership of the ruling political party without there being a need to call for snap elections each time a leadership tussle emerges in the the party.

In the case of the proposed Penang polls, which the DAP leadership, led by Lim, is clearly urging and pressuring their coalition partners - namely Parti Amanah Negara and PKR - to agree to, who is at aimed at helping, Lim or the DAP or the coalition? Amanah has already agreed, leaving PKR to make a decision. DAP has said that if PKR says no, it won’t go for snap polls.

The current coalition Pakatan Harapan holds 29 seats - the DAP 19 and PKR 10 in the 40-seat state assembly, PAS has one and BN 10. The opposition holds three quarters of the seats, DAP is just one seat short of half the assembly. It is a very solid majority for the opposition and there is no issue of who is in control, so why the polls?

Hoping for endorsement of position as CM

The reason is quite clear. Lim faces two corruption charges after purchasing a bungalow at below market price. He has cried “political persecution” over this and is hoping that the snap polls will be an endorsement of his position as chief minister.

The snap polls is all about him, Lim Guan Eng, not DAP, not PKR, not Amanah and not the Pakatan Harapan coalition because if he is found guilty, he will lose his chief minister’s position anyway even if he gets a landslide victory at the snap polls which he will not. That’s rather selfish and I am personally amazed that no DAP leader seems to have voiced this out to him.

Things are different this time. PAS is no longer in the coalition. Expect three-cornered challenges in the 10 seats held by PKR and the one held by PAS. That would split the Malay vote and could potentially lose all 11 seats to BN. If status quo is held elsewhere, that’s enough for BN to take Penang back.

In the other seats, too, there could be three-cornered fights but that is likely to help the DAP which relies on Chinese votes with Malay votes being split between Pas and Umno but things can pan out differently if PAS does not choose to contest in some seats. It is a dangerous game that DAP plays by going for snap polls - Lim can’t be sure how many people will still support him after his questionable behaviour over the bungalow purchase.

There is no reason for the opposition to call snap polls in Penang - the only reason is for Lim to get a public endorsement as chief minister and as we saw that means nothing. In fact the snap polls will play right into BN’s hands giving them a fair opportunity of regaining Penang at a time when the opposition is seriously divided.

PKR has no reason to agree to the polls. Why should it sacrifice itself to save the skin of an individual in DAP, even if it’s the secretary-general and chief minister? And even so, Lim will not be saved if he is found guilty of the corruption charges.

All for nothing.

P GUNASEGARAM believes it is dangerous for political leaders to take their supporters for granted.