KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — Parti Amanah Negara’s Khalid Abdul Samad criticised today Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS’ demand for the Parliament to be dissolved and for a snap general election to take place, warning that it will be expensive for Malaysians.

Drawing comparison to space opera Star Wars, the Shah Alam MP said holding a new general election will be akin to building the exorbitant galactic superweapon called Death Star in the film franchise.

"Of course a new GE is a waste of money! Not enough that the traitors have cost us billions in the share market and foreign exchange alone, you now want us to spend millions because of them?

"You must be the Death Star and Azmin is Darth Vader?” he asked on Twitter, referring Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.

In the series, two Death Stars almost the size of a moon with enough firepower to annihilate a whole planet, were built by the evil Galactic Empire and its iconic chief enforcer Darth Vader.

Azmin and 10 other MPs had quit PKR, ostensibly to join forces with BN and PAS MPs in order to form a "backdoor government” in support of Dr Mahathir.

In a separate tweet, the Amanah communications director also labelled Islamist party PAS as "liars” for initially pledging support for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to stay as prime minister, but then demanding snap polls later.

"Oppose ‘penunggang agama’,” he wrote, using the Malay slang term referring to exploiters of religion.

Yesterday, BN and PAS withdrew their support for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to be prime minister after learning of his plan to form a unity government that would cover the full political spectrum.

Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa said that the statutory declarations that BN and PAS lawmakers signed affirming support for Dr Mahathir was contingent on Dr Mahathir excluding DAP in any new administration.