KUALA LUMPUR: Several members of parliament have voiced their agreement with the idea to introduce a fixed parliamentary term.
Speaking to the New Straits Times, Kapar MP Datuk Abdullah Sani from PKR said voters had the right to know in advance when a general election would be held.
At the same time, he said all political parties should also be allowed to have sufficient time to make the necessary preparations.
"What's the point of letting the public get involved in the guessing game? They need time to make necessary preparations.
"Many Commonwealth countries have adopted this system. When will we change? There must be a fixed term," he said.
DAP's Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said both the public and leaders need certainty as they should focus on nation-building rather than getting stuck in an endless politicking loop.
"A fixed-term will avoid unpredictability. It is not healthy for the nation to have an unpredictable political environment.
"Without it, those in power will always take advantage of the power they have.
"Besides, a fixed-term parliament can save money instead of having separate elections. This is especially after a few state governments had indicated that they will not dissolve their state assemblies to coincide with the 15th general election," he said.
So far, five state governments, namely Penang, Kedah, Sabah, Kelantan and Terengganu, have decided to dissolve the state assemblies according to their respective terms.
Parti Pejuang Tanah Air president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir who is Jerlun MP also agreed with the idea, adding that if possible, the fixed-term system should be introduced soon in the next parliament sitting.
"As far as I know, there is no motion submitted by any MP (to introduce the fixed-term proposal), including as a private bill," he said.
Pengerang MP Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said from Umno in a short reply to the NST said the fixed parliamentary term system is a "good idea".
However, her colleague Padang Besar MP Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, also from Umno, disagreed, saying that the decision to determine the date for a general election should be flexible.
"It is not appropriate because we won't know when a disaster could strike. What if there is an unexpected massive flood occurring in May? Wouldn't that cause more trouble for voters?
"Unless we do this by fixing the year the general election should be held. For example, it would be better if there's a rule saying a general election must be called in a particular year like on the fourth year or the fifth year of the parliamentary term," he said.
Pulai MP Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub of Parti Amanah Negara said leaders should not make things complicated by raising bizarre excuses.
"Everyone already knows that the end of the year is a time when our country will be facing floods, which means we can hold the general election in the middle of the year.
"There are ways to predict the weather and we have (the experts). Don't make things complicated. It's not rocket science," he said.
Earlier today, the NST reported experts and analysts saying that the proposal for a fixed parliamentary system should be introduced in the country as it would be cost-saving, harmonise federal and state elections, aside from ensuring sufficient and equal time for all parties to be prepared.
Dewan Negara speaker Tan Sri Rais Yatim revealed that the idea was first mooted in 1974 by former cabinet minister Tan Sri Senu Abdul Rahman, who was Umno's first secretary-general.
Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun said having a fixed parliamentary system would be practical as it would allow the Election Commission to have sufficient time to make necessary preparations.