KUALA LUMPUR: Having a fixed parliamentary term system is a practical move for the country, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun said.
In terms of saving election costs and preparatory work, he said, the fixed-term system would greatly help the Election Commission (EC) in carrying out its duties.
He explained that if the EC could determine the exact date when Parliament would be dissolved, the commission could start making preparations such as booking and renting the necessary premises.
"We can start to earmark which schools to use (as polling stations), rent and book halls, train our workers and buy the necessary supplies.
"If we start the training too early, they (workers) would forget the lessons, and we would have to do the training again.
"There was one occasion where the hall that we needed to use was booked for a wedding, and as a result, since the law comes first, the couple had to postpone their wedding and the EC had to compensate them for renting the hall (for the election)."
Azhar said this to the media at the Parliament building here today, in response to the New Straits Times reports today on the proposal for a fixed parliamentary system to be introduced in the country.
Experts and analysts said the idea would be cost saving, harmonise federal and state elections aside from ensuring sufficient and equal time for all parties to be prepared.
On saving money, Azhar, who is a former EC chairman, said from the commission's point of view, this would also significantly benefit the agency.
"If there is a snap election, we won't know when to start preparing.
"Also, we will be left at the mercy of vendors. For example, if we want to rent helicopters, we would have to rely on whatever price they come up with. We won't have bargaining power because like it or not, we would have to hold the election 60 days from when Parliament is dissolved.
"It (fixed parliamentary term) is more practical. Just on the cost itself, we can already see the benefits."