GE16: Better to Wait Until 2028

PEKAN, Sept 12, 2026, Pakatan Harapan secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said it would be more appropriate to allow the Unity Government’s mandate to run until February 2028 before dissolving Parliament.

Speaking at a press conference in Nenasi, Pahang, after officiating the Immigration Department’s Kampung Angkat Madani programme, Saifuddin explained that the current parliamentary term is calculated from the swearing-in of MPs, not the November 2022 election date. “We have until February 2028. That is a long time, and it is better to use this period to manage the economy carefully and focus on the people’s welfare,” he said.

GE16

His remarks came in response to calls from UMNO President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi during the UMNO General Assembly that GE16 should be expedited, citing growing support for Barisan Nasional (BN). Zahid pointed to developments in Negeri Sembilan and Johor as signs of BN’s resurgence.

Saifuddin noted similarities between Zahid’s speech and his own address at the PKR Convention, particularly on rejecting identity politics based on race and religion. “We cannot succeed by frightening other communities. PKR has long championed performance-based politics, and I see common ground in UMNO’s shift,” he said.

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