
| Southeast Asia
Mahathir orders coalition to prepare for election
KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister and National Front (BN) chairman Mahathir Mohamad Thursday ordered component parties of the governing coalition to activate their election machineries. ''Yes, they have to prepare from now,'' he told reporters after chairing a two-hour BN Supreme Council meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here.
Mahathir, who is also the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) president, said the general election ''could be called at any time.'' He said the BN could not afford to ''waste even one second."
Asked whether he would call for a snap election given the BN's state of readiness, Mahathir said the general election could be held any time, sooner or later. ''Maybe this year, maybe next, maybe in a month or two, maybe three, four months . . . ,'' he said.
The prime minister said that good understanding prevailed among BN component parties. He said all the component parties concurred on his advice that they set aside their differences and close ranks to face the impending general election.
(Asia Pulse/Bernama)
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