GEORGE TOWN, Aug 6 — The Penang state government may not dissolve its state assembly if snap elections are called, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today.
The Penang lawmaker said the current term has just crossed the two-year mark, and therefore, it is too soon to be dissolved.
He said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) leadership had decided a couple weeks ago that PH states should not follow suit if Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin were to dissolve Parliament to make way for snap elections.
“The situation in PH states is stable and we are less than three years into our term. It is still too early to call for elections unless there are special circumstances like in Sabah,” he told reporters after officiating a ceremony to hand over cheques to schools with excellent SPM and STPM results.
Chow said at this juncture, any such talk is premature, as the prime minister has yet to announce anything.
“We will be watching closely for any eventuality. We have to be prepared for any eventuality,” he said.
He was commenting on news reports that Muhyiddin might call snap elections to coincide with the Sabah state election.
Chow said the possibility of snap elections cannot be ruled out based on the recent political turmoil within Perikatan Nasional (PN) due to seat allocations and the purported instability of government due to its slim majority in Parliament.
“With the current situation of Covid-19 and as the incentives come to an end, it will lead to a negative economic impact such as loss of income, so it would not be a good time to call for elections,” he said.
When asked if Penang will firmly refuse to dissolve its state assembly in the event of a general election, he said the state will have to evaluate the circumstances first.
“Politics is the art of possible so we have to be very close to the circumstances when this happens before we can make a final decision,” he said.
