Melaka polls will be ‘bold act of disrespect’

Any attempt to hold an election in Melaka will be a “bold act of disrespect” given the current state of Malaysia’s fight against Covid-19, said former Sabah chief minister Salleh Said Keruak

This comes after the Melaka state assembly was dissolved yesterday following the withdrawal of four assemblymen from the ruling Umno-led coalition, robbing it of the majority it needed to stay in power.

In a Facebook post, Salleh said that with the people still struggling to cope with the impact of the pandemic, their needs must come first before political jostling.

“Political ethics demands us to put our differences aside and put the national and rakyat’s interests as our primary concern in this pandemic situation. If we are to build political stability, political infighting must stop,” he said.

“Regarding the Melaka situation, any attempt to hold a state election should be deemed as a bold act of disrespect towards our efforts against Covid-19 and for the livelihood of Malaysians. Whatever the reason, politics must progress and not regress during these challenging times.”

He said the onus now fell on Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to decide whether to heed the wishes of some Melaka politicians for an election to be held or “concentrate on the needs of the rakyat”.

Salleh said prolonged political conflicts at a time of national urgency would only paint politicians in a negative light.

“What will we teach our future leaders?” he asked.