GE16 reset: One date for Parliament, peninsula state polls, Loke urges

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke wants the 16th general election to reset and streamline the electoral clock for Parliament and peninsula state polls.

Such a proposal, if realised, could mean that GE16 is held late next year or early 2027.

Peninsular Malaysia’s election timeline was fractured over the past five years, with four different cycles created for state elections.

This is a result of snap state elections being held in Malacca (November 2021) and Johor (March 2022), and the decision of six states - Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu - to hold elections separately from GE15.

Only Perlis, Perak, and Pahang are on the same clock as Parliament.

If the timeline is to be reset, it must be held before the next Malacca state election. The current state legislature’s term is set to expire in December 2026, meaning that polls will have to be held by February 2027 at the latest.

No official talks yet

Speaking to reporters after the Seremban DAP annual general meeting today, Loke said there have been no official talks about such a proposal.

However, he said if the election dates can be streamlined, it would not only make things easier for voters but also save costs for the federal government.

This is because the Election Commission’s budget comes from Putrajaya, and having multiple elections separately means that logistics costs are multiplied.

“But this decision is the prerogative of the prime minister,” the transport minister said. Malaysiakini received a recording of his remarks to the press.

The decision to streamline elections will also require cooperation from all the peninsula state governments.

The 2021 Malacca state election was called after four assemblypersons withdrew support from the state government at the time.

The 2022 Johor state election was called after the state government’s fragile one-seat majority was lost when one assemblyperson died after the cut-off date for by-elections.

As for the six state elections held in 2023, the then-Pakatan Harapan and PAS-led states refused to hold elections concurrently with GE15, due to public outrage over the risk of the general election coinciding with monsoon floods.

Sabah polls

Separately, over in Sabah, Chief Minister Hajiji Noor today assured that the state legislature will be dissolved before its term expires on Nov 11.

The media reported him as saying that his decision would be announced soon, and that it would not be influenced by the meteorological forecast.

Sabah is recovering from a deadly wave of floods and landslides, which have killed at least 13 people.

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