Harapan-ruled states to sit out of GE15 if Parliament dissolved soon

Three states held by Pakatan Harapan will sit out of the next general election if Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolves the Parliament soon.

At a press conference today, Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim said the states have decided to focus on addressing possible flooding issues during the monsoon season.

The states are Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

Anwar said that Selangor and Negeri Sembilan menteris besar made the decision and brought the matter to the Harapan presidential council.

Anwar added that the Penang chief minister had also contacted DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke on the same issue.

"They decided, in case Parliament is dissolved (during monsoon season), their focus will be on tackling flood and easing people's suffering.

“So, they will not hold state elections until the flood situation is resolved," he said, adding the country will be experiencing the monsoon season until March next year.

"Basically, state election will not be held along with general election if it is called during (monsoon season) flood," he said.

Meanwhile, Anwar said the presidential council today also agreed to adopt a single logo for Harapan.

"However, since the election is expected to be held the earliest in a month or two and the latest is by March 2023, as a matter of urgency, we will continue to use the existing logo for GE15," he said.

Using single banner

The Port Dickson MP added it was quite challenging for Harapan to resolve logistical issues surrounding a new logo.

On a related matter, Anwar said Harapan was still discussing about Muda’s entry into the coalition.

"There were a series of meetings and reports have been submitted to us. We are happy with the initial progress of the discussion and it is still continuing."

Citing the case of Upko's application to join Harapan last year, Anwar said the opposition coalition had gone through a series of meetings before arriving at a decision.

"So, I don't see much problem (in Muda's case).

"We did not ask for a timeline but we requested the team (committee set up to hold negotiations and evaluate Muda’s entry) to speed up the process," he said.

When asked about PKR Youth's stance on rejecting Muda's membership, Anwar said what mattered was the decision made by the presidential council.

"It doesn't matter. The presidential council can overrule whatever decision that was made by the wings. This is the position of the presidential leadership," he said.

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