YOURSAY | GE15: Umno, be careful what you wish for

YOURSAY | ‘Cabinet is collectively responsible for Parliament dissolution, not PM.’

‘No one can influence PM to advise Agong on Parliament dissolution’

Speculation rife that Parliament will be dissolved before Budget

Kim Quek: Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob is wrong. What was done by previous PMs on the dissolution of Parliament – where the PM appeared to act unilaterally to dissolve Parliament – is no passport for him to repeat the same act.

The past governments were under the thumb of Umno’s hegemonic rule where the PM’s word is as good as that of the cabinet. But the present government is a rag-tag grouping of opportunistic power cliques where no single political party has the dominant say.

Any move by Ismail Sabri to seek dissolution of Parliament against the expressed wishes of the cabinet would be deemed an attempt to violate Article 40(1) of the Federal Constitution, where it is unequivocally stated that the power to advise the Agong is vested with the cabinet; and when the PM advises the Agong, he is deemed to be “acting under the general authority of the cabinet.”

In case of doubt, it is pertinent to note that such principle of collective leadership is further reinforced in Article 43(1) which states: “The Cabinet shall be collectively responsible to Parliament.”

I am confident that Agong would give due respect to this constitutional provision when he is advised by the PM to dissolve Parliament, especially when the latter is acting against the expressed wishes of the cabinet.

Kilimanjaro: Yes, for now, the PM has the prerogative to advise the king when to dissolve but this can and will and shall change in view of the dynamics of political coalitions that appear to become the norm.

Unlike the days of Umno/BN, where until 2008 it had the two-thirds majority and the decision of the PM in this matter is a given and it still is, the next coalition should explore revising the amendment of this "prerogative" power.

It doesn't make sense that a PM representing a coalition government would have to listen to a party he comes from instead of reaching a collective consensus of the coalition partners.

It happened with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and it may happen with current PM Ismail Sabri. It has become a necessity in the wake of Umno’s indiscretions in that what has been an accepted norm is being hijacked by one party in a coalition for its own reasons.

It then may become necessary in making it a constitutional requirement for a consensus to be reached among coalition partners before the PM takes it to the king. From thereon, it is the king's court that prevails.

Umno has to be careful what it wishes for. It cannot pretend anymore that it can dominate the way it did in the past, and more so when the sort of baggage it is carrying had diminished its value.

It may have clout within Umno, perceived or otherwise, but not just the dynamics but also the political landscape has changed. It may not wish to move on with the times, but it most likely will be left behind to bask in past glory.

Dr Raman Letchumanan: Be careful, Ismail Sabri, be very, very careful. Your next call is very critical for Malaysia, and you.

The moment you dissolve Parliament, you become a nobody, like every one of us ordinary citizens. You may be a caretaker PM until the new Parliament, but as it says, it is just a caretaker role with no executive powers.

You may not return as PM. Heck, you may not even be named as a MP candidate. You may be consoled by giving a state seat, with no prospect of even becoming an MB. Just look at the fate of Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, a boisterous supporter of you.

The full power shifts to the president of Umno. And the supreme council, political bureau, and division heads seem aligned to him, in one voice.

Think very, very carefully before you decide. I am not going to argue on the basis of the weather or other nonsensical reasons, like Pakatan Harapan and other opposition parties. They already acknowledged they are the losers by being ill-prepared to face elections now.

Do you want your legacy to be the shortest-lived prime minister, that too as a backdoor prime minister? So far, the star has been shining brightly on you, being at the right place and right time. Don't squander this divine-given opportunity by making a silly call and writing your demise.

As an ordinary rakyat, I don't care for you or your Umno colleagues. But the country as it is now needs a strong principled leader, not proven corrupts who are agitating to rule again, and finish their business of making Malaysia ala Sri Lanka.

OrangePanda6395: Agong should reject the call to dissolve Parliament. Everyone knows Zahid wants to return to power just to get his corruption cases dropped.

The Agong should not allow this but let Ismail Sabri or another PM run the country until the term ends in July 2023.

Apanama is Back: By the way, former premier Najib Abdul Razak’s case for attending Parliament sitting could now be academic.

But the risk of rain and flood, we need to endure. We need to have a legal government. Two years of illegal government is too much for this country.

Personally, I am willing to take a risk to vote if there is flooding. Because Najib must be stopped from tainting my country's Parliament and also, I want a legal government to run my country.

Vijay47: That would truly be poetic justice, Parliament being dissolved within a few days from today, bringing to a dead-end Najib’s further attempts at freedom.

I wonder whether he knew of the impending dissolution – he only threatened legal action over being disallowed to attend Parliament. For a man of his bravado and his lawyer’s loud mouth, one would have expected to say “I will take action”.

Be that as it may, bring it on. Come hell or high water, we are ready!

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