Malaysia set for snap poll

Press, 14 March 1978, Page 9

Malaysia set for snap poll

NZPA-Reuter Kuala Lumpur Malaysia’s political parties braced for a snap General Election after the sweeping victory of the ruling United Malays’ National Organisation in the election for the Kelantan state Legislative Assembly at the week-end. U.M.N.O. fought the election determined to wrest control of Kelantan from the Islamic Party, U.M.N.O.’s ethnic political foe which had been in power in the state since 1959, and gain complete political dominance over the whole of Malaysia before calling . the General Election. U.M.N.O. won 23 of the 24 seats contested, and its electoral ally, the Berjasa Party, formed by the caretaker state Chief Minister, Datuk Mohamed Nasir, collected 11 seats giving the U.M.N.0.Berjasa coalition an overwhelming majority of 34 in the 36-member state legislature. The Islamic Party, which had 20 members in the last state assembly, crashed to a humiliating defeat as it was able to win only two con- I stituencies with the barest majorities of less than 100 each. The Islamic Party leader (Datuk Mohamed Asri Muda), who spoke to party workers in the state capital :

of Kota Bharu after the defeat, warned them to prepare for a snap national poll. Leaders of the Democratic Action Party, Malaysia’s second-largest Opposition group, also alerted party branches to be in readiness for the General Election, although it is not due until September next year. The Finance Minister and Kelantan U.M.N.O. chief . (Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah), who was responsible for the snap poll in Kelantan, declined to comment on when he would advise the Prime Minister and U.M.N.O. president (Datuk Hussein Onn) to hold the election. But, the MaLysian Chinese Association and Gerakan parties, which are minority partners of U.M.N.O. in Malaysia’s ruling National Front, have already chosen their share of candidates for the General FLction, which they expect to be held within a few months. Tengku Razaleigh has emerged from the Kelantan state election as the undisputed architect of victory. U.M.N.O. sources said he would play ai. increasingly influential role in timing the General Election and mapping out its strategy for the U.M.N.0.-dominated National Front.