PM need not bow to pressure to dissolve Parliament while he has majority support – Loke

KLUANG – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim need not bow to any pressure to dissolve Parliament as long as he retains the support of a majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said the dissolution of Parliament was the Prime Minister's prerogative as provided for under the Federal Constitution.

He said the Prime Minister had his own considerations in deciding the appropriate time to hold an election, after obtaining the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

"As long as the Prime Minister has the support of the majority in the Dewan Rakyat, there is no reason to bow to any pressure.

"Of course the Prime Minister has his considerations on when he wants to hold the election, and after obtaining the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong," he said.

He was speaking at a press conference after the DAP Johor Annual Convention here on Sunday.

Earlier, it was reported that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was of the view that there was no need for a Cabinet reshuffle at this time.

Instead, the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman said it would be better to dissolve Parliament to let the people decide on a new mandate.

Meanwhile, Loke, who is also the Seremban MP, said the government's current mandate still had about one year left and the Prime Minister should use that period to carry out reforms and several important agendas.

He said among the matters that needed attention were the legal reform agenda, which was now in its final stages, including several amendments to the Federal Constitution and the drafting of new laws.

"It is to strengthen governance and the management of our nation's finances, and to ensure the anti-corruption agenda is reinforced.

"So the focus and agenda of the government, particularly the Prime Minister, should be towards carrying out these tasks and reforms, not bowing to any pressure to dissolve Parliament," he said.

He said the government needed to focus on delivering the agenda throughout the remaining term of the administration before the current mandate ended.