No advantage in holding state polls separately, only extra costs and public backlash: Researchers

PETALING JAYA: Holding state elections simultaneously or in a staggered manner will not provide any political party with an advantage during the polls because of the short window that exists before the elections must be held this year, said political analysts.

Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Prof Dr Azmi Hassan said it is a good thing that all six states and the main political rivals, Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN), have agreed to hold elections at the same time.

He said it would not have made a big difference if they had decided to hold them separately by August.

“They were left with no choice but to hold polls at the same time as they were worried about how the public would view them if they decided on different dates.

“Any negative perception about them would hurt their chances of winning in the state elections.”

Azmi said it was now a very sensitive time as the cost of living continues to rise and any extra expenditure by the government, especially when it comes to holding elections, would receive public backlash.

He said politically and strategically, it would not make much of a difference when the polls are held but if politicians want the public’s goodwill, then holding simultaneous elections would benefit them.

Azmi said cost is a critical factor in deciding on having the polls at the same time in six states.

He added that it will show that political parties can work together even if they have different ideologies.

The Election Commission (EC) spent a total of RM420 million for the Johor, Sarawak, Malacca and Sabah elections.

Its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh had earlier said the EC estimated the cost to run the elections in the six states to be about RM450 million.

The cost of the polls for each state will be different, depending on the size of the state and the number of seats in the state assembly, but it is estimated it will cost an average of RM100 million for each state.

Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Noor and Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar have agreed to hold state polls by the end of June.

Of the six, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu are governed by PAS and are part of the PN coalition as well as the federal Opposition.

Penang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan are ruled by PH, which leads the federal unity government.

Selangor and Kelantan must dissolve their state assemblies by June 26 and June 28 respectively, while Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan and Kedah have until July 1, July 2, and July 4 respectively to dissolve theirs.

Penang’s legislature has until Aug 2 to dissolve, when its current term expires.

National Council of Professors senior fellow Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir concurred that simultaneous elections are good for the nation and will save the EC a lot of money.

He said it will save time and make it easier to arrange the necessary manpower.

Jeniri added that political parties would also be more focused on spreading their message to the public.

“The people will be critical of parties that decide they do not want to hold polls at the same time. This is not the time to show who can stand alone, but to come together and put the public first.

“Any political party that wants to put itself first would end up being rejected by the people. They (political parties) know that the people are more worried about bread-and-butter issues.

“If they were to put themselves first, they would be punished at the polls.”

Azmi and Jeniri say simultaneous elections are good for the nation and will save the EC a lot of money. – Bernamapic

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