The rumour mill has gone into overdrive in Perak, as speculation mounts that snap polls will be called in March.

DAP national vice-president M Kula Segaran (left) attributed this to the Perak Sultan’s recent audience with the state Election Commission officer.

He also claimed to have heard that some members of the Perak royalty want Sultan Azlan Shah to dissolve the state assembly, so that elections could be called by March.

“This will be good for (the image of) the sultan. Never before has so much controversy been caused by the removal of (Pakatan Rakyat menteri besar Mohammad) Nizar (Jamaluddin) and the appointment of (BN’s) Zambry (Abd Kadir),” he noted.

Politicians are also in favour of settling once and for all the question of the lawful menteri besar, as the administration of the state has been affected by the uncertainty.

State DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham said that the political future of Perak would be determined by the Federal Court ruling in the Nizar vs Zambry case. A decision is expected on Feb 9.

“If the ruling is in favour of Nizar, than there is certainty of the dissolution of the state assembly and fresh elections. But, if the ruling goes against Nizar, than it would be up to Zambry,” he said.

‘Sudden generosity’

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) also feels that the state elections will be called after Chinese New Year, which falls on Feb 14 and 15.

A PSM worker, who declined to be named, based this on the sudden outpouring of generosity of the BN state government.

“It has been indifferent to the plight of the urban pioneers ( squatters) and farmers who earn a living on state land. However it has suddenly taken a new interest in their welfare over the past two months,” he said.

“It has started handing out goodies, promises of state land and other perks, and has shown a new interest in solving their problems. All this smells of snap elections.”

MIC president S Samy Vellu who was in Taiping over the weekend, however, said there was no need for polls as the BN was strong enough to complete its term of office.         

This was echoed by the party’s Perak head S Veerasingam who said: “This is merely speculation (by the opposition) and we should not place much importance on it.”