14-Day Countdown to 13GE: Unhealthy Federal-State relations where Negri Sembilan State Assembly automatically dissolved midnight last night because of a “kiasu” and “kiasi” Prime Minister

Another dubious record by Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia – Malaysian history’s first “automatic” dissolution of a State Assembly at midnight last night not because of a conscious and deliberate decision by the Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar but because of a “kiasu” and “kiasi” Prime Minister embroiled in a Hamlet agony unable to decide when to dissolve Parliament for fear of becoming the last Umno/BN Prime Minister.

The automatic dissolution of the Negri Sembilan State Assembly last night, with Negri Sembilan now without a single elected State Assembly members in the sixty days until May 26 – the last date for the election of the new Negri Sembilan State Assembly – is a major blow to healthy Federal-state relations, as it is a classic case where a State Government has been deprived of its constitutional right to seek a new mandate from the electorate solely because of extraneous and even unconstitutional considerations – the indecisiveness of the Prime Minister!

This is not the Federal-state relations which the country’s forefathers and the founders of the country’s Constitution had ever envisaged or desired more than half a century ago – for the autonomy, independence and prerogatives of each state government in the federation of Malaysia is to be jealously protected and honoured.

I am sure if Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Tan Cheng Lock or Tun Sambanthan had been asked 56 years ago whether under the 1957 Merdeka Federal Constitution a state government would be deprived of the power and have to surrender its prerogative to dissolve the State Assembly to seek a new mandate at the end of its five-year term to the Prime Minister until he could decide when to dissolve Parliament, the answer from all the fathers of Merdeka would be a loud, clear-cut and categorical “No! No! No!”

In the circumstances, the Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan had been a party to the subversion of the Negri Sembilan State Constitution and the development of healthy and proper Federal-state relations in allowing the Prime Minister to usurp his powers to dictate that the Negri Sembilan State Assembly goes for “automatic dissolution” to suit the scheme of things decided by the Prime Minister – a clear and open subversion of the independence, autonomy and prerogatives of state constitution and powers!

It is now to be seen whether the other State Governments and State Constitutions would be similarly subverted and violated by the Prime Minister and the Federal Government like the case of Negri Sembilan – i.e. Pahang on April 7 and Johore and Malacca on April 21 where the two State Assemblies would automatically dissolved, not because of any deliberate and conscious decision of the heads of the state governments but to suit the agenda of the Prime Minister!

The Pakatan Rakyat-run states of Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Kelantan should not allow their state constitutions, rights, powers and prerogatives to be subverted in this fashion by the Prime Minister and the Federal Government, and I agree with the Selangor Mentri Besar, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim that the four PR states should consider whether they should go for automatic dissolution of their State Assemblies (Selangor’s state assembly will be automatically dissolved on April 22) to humour the Prime Minister or whether they should act on the merits of the issue, fully protecting state government rights, powers and prerogatives from being usurped by the Prime Minister and Federal Government, on when they want to dissolve their respective State Assemblies.

It is interesting to read of reasons which are being trotted out to justify Najib’s true Hamlet-style indecisiveness on when to hold the long-awaited 13GE, including the ongoing Sabah Sulu crisis which has seen the establishment of the Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (Esszone) covering 10 districts namely Kudat, Kota Marudu, Pitas, Beluran, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau.

Other reasons for Najib’s still waiting for the “inspiration” to dissolve Parliament include his intention to announce his four-year report card as Prime Minister (a confession that his earlier report card on his National Transformation Agenda had been a complete flop), his inability to finalise the BN’s candidates’ list and most unbelieveable of all, his intention to attend the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Brunei on April 24 as a “full-fledged leader” instead of as a caretaker Prime Minister!

All these are mounting signs of a Prime Minister who is very “jittery” about when to dissolve Parliament and to call for the long-delayed 13GE because of his fear of the Opposition Pakatan Rakyat, despite denial by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.

But Nazri may be on to something when he said, in response to a media question, that the 13GE may be held in May.

April or May, Najib has at most another five weeks before Parliament will be dissolved automatically, for the first time in the nation’s 56-year history, and if there is going to be simultaneous Parliament/State Assembly 13GE, the polling date must be by 24th May (the deadline for the holding of elections for the Negri Sembilan State Assembly) – or in eight weeks’ time.

Najib has lost all the advantages of incumbency where the Prime Minister can choose the most ideal time to dissolve Parliament and to hold the 13GE.

With eight weeks left for simultaneous Parliament/State Assembly elections to be held, what could Najib achieve in the next eight weeks which could redound to his credit but which he could not achieve for more than four years as the longest unelected Prime Minister?

Nothing much at all. This is why Tun Mahathir said he would have held the 13GE last year, when he commented:

“If I was the prime minister, I would have called for elections last year. All this waiting… one month, two months, three months… it just never stops.

“I was expecting elections to be held last year but because I’m not prime minister it didn’t happen.”

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15 Replies to “14-Day Countdown to 13GE: Unhealthy Federal-State relations where Negri Sembilan State Assembly automatically dissolved midnight last night because of a “kiasu” and “kiasi” Prime Minister”

  1. I almost fell out of my chair when Mahathir said Najib would have to go if he does badly in the GE. He might as well call Najib a screw-up..

    Its over for Najib which brings interesting dynamics because infighting is going to break out in UMNO/BN..In states like Terengganu, Perlis, Kedah and even Perak and Negeri Sembilan – they are going work in PR favour. The longer Najib delay, the worst the problem gets ironically in part thanks to Mahathir’s own big mouth..

  2. On d Sulu terrorism in Sabah, Najib made a blunder of a statement, while opening a major defence show in langkawi (as published in yesterday’s Sun). It goes, “Many of you have served your nation either in the armed forces or in govt. You have made big decisions about defence procurement & policy, advised companies & forces on spending & strategy. As a former defence minister, i have faced such decisions before about committing troops in bosnia & somalia & about peacekeeping operations in lebanon.”….”BUT THEY DO NOT ADEQUATELY PREPARE YOU FOR A SITUATION LIKE THAT WHICH EMERGED IN SABAH”. So what has years of army training & purchase of expensive arms & other weapons in this country amounted to? In other words, he’s saying the country’s not ready for attacks. Obviously trying to sound pitiful & gain sympathy. But a HUGE blunder. 

  3. This is not to say that the sulu gunmen are not skilled & vicious, & our highest respect & deepest sympathies to our fallen fighters..but in making that one statement, Najib has totally undermined our nation’ s defence team. Well, afterall, they did underestimate the aged sulu men in sarong & slippers. Unless of course, najib had accidentally read hishammudin’s speech by mistake.

  4. I am getting tired of the endless wait to cast my vote. Automatic dissolution or not it does not matter anymore to me at least. I just want to have my opportunity to cast my vote and vent my frustration.

    What I observed thus far:
    1. BN trying to influence people with money.
    2. BN resorting to violence.
    3. BN playing the race card.
    4. BN using the media and machineries of government to gain advantage.
    All the above points to an arrogance of those who have been in power for too long.

    PR with her humble promise of treating all Malaysians irregardless of race with fairness is walking on the right path. A steadfast path which the majority of Malaysians will follow. Those who currently do not follow will eventually see the light and will follow suit on this path towards a Malaysia where one race takes care of the other and treat each other with respect and fairness.

    No doubt in my mind that this time PR with her humble message of hope will triumph. We will see a change of government for sure.

  5. Unless dissolved earlier, other state assemblies will also expire as follows:
    Pahang : April 7
    Johor : April 20
    Selangor : April 22
    Perak : April 24
    Malacca : April 26
    Kelantan and Perlis : April 28
    Sabah : April 29
    Penang and Kedah : May 2
    Terengganu : May 5

    Sarawak is the only state whose state assembly will not expire this year as it held its elections in 2011.

  6. Tai King a, CIMbersatu may be right loh, JibbyKutty may not even think of kiasi, all $$$ in their mind lah. Malaysians are not fortunate to have them around, Malaysians are fortunate to have PR fighting for them.

  7. See, our Honorable Tun Dr Mahathir… always put canon behind the horse.

    He knows Najib ‘kiasu’ and ‘kiasi’ yet, he leave Najib to ‘su’ and ‘si’.

    How evil is this Dr can be, huh?…. anyone knows his limit?

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