BACK AND FORTH: Easier said than done

"What is there to wait for", this was said by the party president to delegates during the recently concluded Umno Annual General Assembly, on the 15th General Election (GE15).

The general feeling is that the momentum is at its peak and why stop now if this is based on victories in Melaka and Johor polls.

Furthermore, it seems strategic as the opposition are at their lowest ebb.

And even in war, if you want to attack your enemy, attack them when they are at their lowest.

However, the only problem is if the Dewan Rakyat was dissolved now, the decision is in the hands of the prime minister and not Umno delegates.

The current party president is not the prime minister, which is an unprecedented situation the country has seen.

However, the prime minister in his winding-up speech at the Umno assembly as the party vice president was not in a hurry to make hasty decisions just to satisfy the wishes of the delegates.

Ismail Sabri Yaakob, in the most diplomatic way, told them to allow top party leaders to discuss the issue first.

"Two victories in the state elections has made us eager to dissolve the Parliament immediately.

"I have heard suggestions from debaters to dissolve the Parliament. I guarantee you that the party's top five - the president, deputy president, and vice presidents - will discuss it," Ismail Sabri had said.

His speech was focused on him acknowledging the wishes of the delegates to hold GE15 immediately and that the decision to do so would be a monumental one to make.

This is because while delegates want their wishes met, another consideration to take into account is that when the decision has been made, it is final.

Again, the prime minister has to decide and he has stated clearly that this is a monumental decision to be made.

As soon as he dissolves the Parliament, he will no longer hold any power or privileges given to the prime minister. He cannot determine the direction of the party as he is not the party president.

Instead, he would return to just being the party’s vice president.

This is a major decision and if we look from Ismail Sabri's view, we need to understand why he needs to be fully prepared to do this.

At the same time, he needs to discuss with his partners from Perikatan Nasional and Sabah, Sarawak.

They cannot be ignored or set aside just because Umno won big in the state polls.

Yet the most critical and important is to take the views and advice of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong.

Whether His Majesty is pleased with the recommendations is still unknown.

The reply could be a "yes" or a "no". People may forget that the person who meets the King weekly is not the party president of any political party but the prime minister.

In the end, it is just the prime minister and the King who knows for sure when to hold the general elections.

The others would just have to wait and see.

"Back and Forth" is a column by Rozaid Rahman. He is Sinar Karangkraf Group Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content Officer.