KUALA LUMPUR: Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the government would not risk triggering a by-election for the seats held by six Bersatu Members of Parliament (MPs) who have declared their support for the prime minister.

In his Keluar Sekejap podcast with former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan last night, Khairy said the decision to vacate the seats would be left to Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul.

However, he cautioned against such a risky move, warning that a by-election could backfire and tarnish the government's reputation if all seats were lost.

"The Speaker has to make a decision or seek input from Parliament legal officers. However, the Speaker has the benefit of doubt; he is a former PKR politician and will gauge the political climate.

"If a by-election is held under the current circumstances, and if not all, at least five parliamentary seats are lost to Perikatan Nasional (PN), it would have a negative impact on governance," he said.

Khairy said the government might adopt a wait-and-see approach, particularly observing the outcome of the upcoming Kuala Kubu Baru by-election, which is not a PN stronghold.

"They will likely await the results of the Kuala Kubu Baru by-election, which was previously won comfortably by Pakatan Harapan. They would hesitate to risk triggering a by-election if any setback occurred in that constituency.

"The voter turnout in Kuala Kubu Baru is high, with a significant non-Malay population compared to the six Bersatu parliamentary seats. It would be difficult to recover if they lose all seats in this uncertain economic situation."

Meanwhile, Shahril said the government should consider embracing the risk of a by-election to gauge public sentiment and reassess their performance.

"They should hold the by-election, leveraging the narrative that the seat rightfully belongs to PN.

"This approach would also allow them to gauge fluctuations in support percentage, which offers more tangible insights than mere survey data."

https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2024/04/1038990/government-hesitant- -election-risk-six-bersatu-mps-says-kj