Prime Minister has prerogative to decide on Parliament dissolution, not party leaders

SHAH ALAM - It is not a critical factor for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob whether he calls for the dissolution of Parliament or decides to become a hero by putting an end to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and the Yayasan Akalbudi scandals, or to be a loyal party man and risk his premiership.

Political analysts said this was because the Prime Minister holds the prerogative to dissolve Parliament.

Geostrategist Dr Azmi Hassan said Ismail Sabri has never put forward the idea to dissolve the Parliament and that the latter will demonstrate that whatever decision he made, was his decision alone.

“I think he (Ismail Sabri) will follow Umno’s discretion, but he will demonstrate that whatever decision that was made, it was his decision alone.

“In terms of the Parliament dissolution, I am not inclined to say that he will be the shortest serving Prime Minister or he will be at odds with his party, or he will extend the Parliament so that his tenure would be longer.

“I don’t see that as a critical factor for him because so far, he is holding the fort and he is playing the psychological warfare in terms of calling or not calling for the Parliament to be dissolved,” he told Sinar Daily.

Azmi added that Ismail Sabri has nothing to do with the court cluster which included former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who were on trial over the misappropriation of funds in 1MDB and Yayasan Akalbudi, respectively.

This, he said had meant that whether they will be found guilty or otherwise, Ismail Sabri does not necessarily have to deal with it especially when he has the support of Umno since the party’s supreme council named him as the Prime Minister of choice.

On the court cluster, he said he was of the view that it was unlikely for Najib and Zahid to be able to take control of the government since their time to be the Prime Minister was already over.

“I think the Umno supreme council is also of the same wavelength, especially if they want the support of the people.

“In reality, Najib is popular and Zahid is the Umno president, but their influence is quite limited, unlike Ismail Sabri who I think has a high chance of being the Prime Minister again if Barisan Nasional (BN) can form a federal government,” he said.

Meanwhile, political analyst Professor Siva Murugam said the possibility of Najib and Zahid making a comeback depended on their court cases as well as themselves.

He said Najib was certainly trying to win back and get the respect he had lost in BN, but it was not certain if he was planning to make a comeback despite his popularity being at the highest now as seen on social media and the meetings he had with the communities and leaders.

As for Zahid, he said being the incumbent and holding the position of the Umno president right now, it was obvious Zahid was trying to win over the division leaders and members.

“These two are actually trying hard to make BN relevant through a different aspect.

“Najib is not using the party platform because he has no position in the party so he is moving on his own supporters, while Zahid is using the party platform to make sure the party is still intact.

“Machinery manpower will still be with them when they face the 15th General Election (GE15),” he said.

When asked about the motivation of the people supporting them despite the fact that they might not be relevant, Siva said the people were quick to forget about the past.

“They are giving their support because it is easy for Malaysians to forget and they are desperate for their well-being to be taken care of during these hard times where the frustration over cost of living is soaring high.

“We should be smarter and focus on this,” he added.