PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has expressed concern over a possible hike in Covid-19 cases should a state election be held in Melaka, following the state leadership crisis.
This follows the announcement by four state assemblymen who withdrew support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali.
Ismail Sabri, who is an Umno vice-president, said this was the case during the Sabah election last year.
"I am fully aware of the concerns (raised by the public). My social media (account) was bombarded with comments by people who said a similar situation as in the Sabah election could recur.
"Prior to the election, Sabah had recorded a low number of (Covid-19) cases. There was a surge in cases afterward, causing the people to raise their concerns over a possible repeat of the situation," he told reporters after launching the 2021 National Preparedness Month Celebration under the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
He however said it was too early to talk about a state election.
"If it ever comes to that, the Election Commission (EC) will be issue stringent SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)," he said, adding the Health Ministry would be consulted if an election was to be held.
He called for all quarters to wait for a decision by Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Ali Rustam on the status of the state government.
Ismail Sabri said he would leave it to Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to address the issue.
Asked whether the state political crisis would see a similar situation at the federal level, Ismail Sabri said "anything could happen".
"We hope that the situation will remain stable. After signing the MoU (memorandum of understanding) between the government and opposition, we can see the country's politics have become stable.
"This is not only apparent in parliament, but the situation is now calmer throughout the country and the people are happy with it."
He said there was no longer extreme politicking, which saw some leaders disregarding the interests of the people and the country.
Ismail Sabri said all parties, including the opposition, were now more focused on development and economic recovery.
"Even in parliament, we can see better cooperation (between government and opposition MPs), which is more preferable among the people. We hope this (good collaboration) will continue."
Former Melaka chief minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron, along with three other assemblymen in announcing their withdrawal of support to the state administration led by Sulaiman yesterday cited its flip-flopping in decision-making.
Meanwhile, Melaka Pakatan Harapan chairman Adly Zahari had said it would submit a letter to Tun Mohd Ali to inform that the Sulaiman-led state government had lost its majority, in line with Article 7(4) of the State Constitution.
The Melaka state legislative assembly has 28 seats, with 14 held by Barisan Nasional (BN), Bersatu (two), DAP (seven), PKR (two), Amanah (two) and Independent (one).