PM: Too much resources wasted on unnecessary by-elections

Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the country doesn’t need another by-election because too much time, energy and money have been spent on by-elections that are actually unnecessary when priority should be on fixing the economy.

And, by-elections should not be called for wantonly but only held if the elected representative died.

The Prime Minister was commenting on the impending by-election in Penanti which fell vacant following the resignation of the former Deputy Chief Minister I, Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin, as state rep of the constituency yesterday.

Datuk Seri Najib described the resignation as politically motivated and a political game by the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) just for their own purposes and self-interests.

Too Much Money Spent on Unnecessary By-elections

KLANG, April 17 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said on Friday too much time, energy and money have been spent on by-elections that need not be held.

The prime minister said that a by-election should only be held when the elected representative died.

He said this when asked to comment on the resignation of Mohamad Fairus Khairuddin of Parti Keadilan Rakyat as Penanti state assemblyman in Penang yesterday, paving the way for a by-election.

"This resignation is a political decision and can been described as a political game for certain purposes. So the people in general don't like by-elections that are deliberately forced to be held," he told a news conference after opening the 63rd annual general meeting of the Association Chinese Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (ACCIM) here.

Asked whether Fairus' action was a betrayal of the voters' trust, he said it was up to the people to judge.

"There are many views now that we are over-politicking at a time when we should be focusing on restoring the country's economy and fighting for the interests and wellbeing of the people to look forward to our future and take the nation to greater heights of success," he said.

Mohammad Fairus in announcing his resignation, effective yesterday, said he wanted to pursue his studies and spend more time with his family and to clear his name of the allegations hurled against him.

Mohammad Fairus, 32, is under investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over allegations of corruption involving quarry operations.

Najib also said that under the Federal Constitution besides the death of an incumbent, the other reasons for holding by-elections were if the assemblyman or member of Parliament was declared a bankrupt or incapable of discharging his duties and responsibilities due to certain factors.

"Resigning actually runs counter to the concept of parliamentary democracy because once you offer yourself, you should be committed to working for the duration of the parliamentary or state term to serve the people," he said.

On the likelihood of demonstrations like those in Thailand occurring in Malaysia, he said : "I don't see it...because we are a nation and society that uphold the constitution and the law, so the rule of law is the principle and pillar that we respect."