PETALING JAYA: The 15th General Election is likely to be held this year in view of the rising cost of living and disruption in the supply of essential goods such as chicken, say analysts.

       Ilham centre executive director Hisomudin Bakar said the latest developments had shown that the economic factor had a great impact on livelihoods.

       He said with the increasing cost of essential goods such as cooking oil, chicken and wheat, the people should not be further burdened by political games that could affect political stability and, in turn, contribute to the weakness of the ringgit.

       “But from the perspective of Umno, it might be different. For Umno, delaying the general election will cause the people’s anger to grow and will further make it difficult to control.

       “Indirectly, the popularity of the Barisan Nasional-led government will be affected. Based on that argument, it is very appropriate that the election date be determined immediately,” Hisomudin said when contacted yesterday.

       Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, said Umno might use such reasoning to push for an early general election before the situation deteriorated further.

       “Umno might use this opportunity to push the agenda that the country needs a party with a strong mandate from the people.

       “This is to ensure that Umno, as the dominant party, will be able to formulate policies at the federal level to ensure the well-being of the people,” he added.

       On Monday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced a slew of short-term measures, including stopping the export of chicken effective June 1, and doing away with the need for approved permits (APs) to import wheat to ensure the price stability of food.

       Azmi said now that the country was transitioning towards the endemic phase of Covid-19, there were no concrete reasons to curtail a general election.

       Dr Carmelo Ferlito, chief executive officer of the Centre for Market Education, a think tank that promotes the concept of free markets, said there were several reasons behind the recent supply chain disruptions, including that of chicken.

       “The supply chain disruptions were caused by the previous lockdowns, and those supply chain disruptions created price tensions, while general inflationary pressures have been generated by excessive money creation, both of which were decided by the government.

       “Now that the demand is increasing, the supply needs time to adjust,” he said.

       National Professors Council senior fellow Dr Jeniri Amir said that because the cost of living remained a contentious issue, he believed the prime minister would not delay the general election.

       “If you see the history of our country’s general elections, the high cost of living will always be one of the top issues raised by the Opposition.

       “If the Prime Minister delays the general election, will there be any guarantee that the cost of living will be reduced?

       “It is better for him to have it (election) before the end of the year.

       “Currently, Barisan does not have many internal issues compared with the Opposition.

       “They need to sustain the momentum from their previous election victories. The Prime Minister also needs to weigh the pros and cons of whether to delay or call for an early election,” he added.