UMNO is ready to face the possibility of a snap general election in the event if a party withdraws its support for the government, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
While Ismail did not make clear who he was referring to, it is believed that he was referring to the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
Earlier, The Star reported that the PN coalition is mulling to pull its support to Ismail Sabri, which could trigger the collapse of the federal government after the prime minister abruptly called off a meeting that was supposed to discuss the appointment of a deputy prime minister from Bersatu.
Commenting on the report, Ismail said is not troubled by the threats to withdraw support for him as the prime minister.
“If a side pulls their support and causes the fall of the government, then an election must immediately be held,” he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.
“The government is always ready to face a general election in any condition. If the government remains, we will consider an appropriate election date.”
At the same time, he also said that the news reports of his dwindling support were likely the opinion of a small number of people and not the official stand of the Bersatu-led PN coalition.
“But this statement is not the party’s official statement, maybe it is from one or two people.”
“There are party members who said the matter was not brought into the party’s official meeting. For action to be taken it must be made based on the party’s official decision,” he said.
He also said that Malaysia practices a democratic system so it is up to anyone to make a decision.
“Any party can make their own decision, and with the decision we have to face if there is a withdrawal of support for example, if the government falls, the election must be held after that.”
