Experts: Combining national and state polls unrealistic due to different timelines
KUALA LUMPUR: The next four years will be busy with various state polls to be held before the next general election is due, despite the hope of many for simultaneous elections.
Holding parliamentary and state elections concurrently could solve many issues but MPs and experts don’t see this happening in the 16th General Election (GE16), which must be held by December 2027 at the latest, according to election analyst Dr G. Manimaran (see accompanying story).
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Experts said concurrent state and federal polls would see savings in funds, reduce politicking and political fatigue, while out-of-state voters would have the time to make plans for their travel.
However, given the different times in which state assemblies will have to dissolve, they believe combining parliamentary and state elections is unlikely to happen in the next general election.
The “Sheraton Move” in 2020 saw the fall of the then federal government due to party hopping, sparking state elections starting with Sabah in 2020, Melaka and Sarawak in 2021, and Johor in 2022.
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Due to this, the Sabah state assembly is expected to be dissolved between 2024 and 2025.
GE16 is not due until 2026 or 2027.
Political analyst Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir said with such a timeline, it is unrealistic to expect both parliamentary and state polls to take place together for GE16.
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“Very unlikely. The timelines for the states are different. Besides, this is nothing new. We’ve seen parliamentary and state elections being held separately for decades.
“Having separate elections is not wrong. It is still part of the democratic process. It’s just that it brings up different problems such as logistics, higher costs, and political fatigue,” he said when contacted.
On changing the current setup to enable simultaneous elections, Jeniri said based on past experiences, making such a change would rarely be on the priority list of politicians, whether on the government or Opposition side.
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In the mind of political players, he said there would be just one crucial question: Can they win the state again if an election is held at the same time as a general election?
“Are they willing to lose power? What’s the guarantee that this or that party can retain the states they previously won? Or will it go to their opponents?
“Can all the assemblymen who won in recent state polls retain their seats in GE16?
“Will these people, the political players, agree to making such a change?”
He said that those at the helm would want to hold on to their power, especially since it is a five-year term.
“Why would politicians want to cut short their tenure just to make way for improvements that don’t really help them?
“This is why political will is important if we want to see this change,” he said.
Two MPs from opposing sides, when contacted, said they agreed with combining parliamentary and state elections, but noted that each state had its own discretion on when to dissolve its legislative assembly.
PKR’s Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung said some states like Sabah might not be able hold off the dissolution of their state assembly to match GE16 dates.
“I believe it would be better to put together the six states that recently held their elections, since their dissolution dates were closer to GE15 (which took place in November last year).
“As for the rest, perhaps there could be a different consideration.
“As much as we wish this (simultaneous polls) could happen, the discretion to dissolve state assemblies lies with the states themselves,” he said.
The six states that recently held elections were Selangor, Penang, Negri Sembilan, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah.
Kubang Kerian MP Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man of PAS urged the government to come up with an effective method to resolve all issues surrounding the country’s electoral process.
He said a new method must be introduced that would be convenient for everyone – voters, the Election Commission, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, and the police.
“In principle, I agree that all elections must be held concurrently nationwide because it will save operational costs, reduce politicking, and increase voter turnout.
“Excessive politicking will only take our time away from focusing on important matters such as nation-building, economic stability and people’s issues,” he said.
