COMMENT | When Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob walked to the podium to make his short address yesterday, he was not a picture of confidence, but one of doubt and uncertainty. Even by comparison to his usual lack-lustre performance, it was poor.

He did not come across as convincing in his announcement of the dissolution of Parliament, his reasons seemed weak and vague, and it was as if he was almost forced to make an announcement against his better judgment and will.

As he made the announcement, there were ominous announcements at the bottom of the TV screen of rivers at dangerous levels in the east coast states of Peninsular Malaysia. Later reports showed floods in parts of Sarawak.

Ismail Sabri previously maintained, over and over again, that the dissolution of Parliament was his own prerogative as prime minister and could not be taken away from him.

But in the final analysis, he wasn’t man enough to stand up to the Umno crowd who wanted early elections.

That the Agong has assented to the dissolution indicates...