Hazlan Zakaria
Malaysiakini
Dec 14, 10

The DAP today announced that it will postpone its party polls for 12 months to prepare for snap-elections which the party believe is just around the corner.

“(This is to) to put the party in general election mode, so all resources and efforts should be directed towards preparations,” said party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng during a press conference in parliament.

He said that the party’s central executive committee is compelled to consider the decision in the view that both Umno and the MCA has postponed their own party polls recently, which he believed is “a clear signal that a snap election will likely be called”.

Lim explained that the party’s governing body invoked clause eight of the party constitution that empowers it to declare a postponement to party polls.

He said that party elections which is due to be held by August 2011 will now be postponed until August 2012, effecting states which had not yet held their AGMs and the national AGM of the party.

Lim related that the powerful committee, in its unanimous decision, has decided that it is paramount to pool its resources and efforts to face the upcoming electoral contest and not be distracted by other matters.

The party secretary-general also said that the party will be holding a general election workshop on Jan 16 2011 to prepare and learn about the general election.

Early this month, Premier Najib Abdul Razak, who is also Umno president, announced that the party will postpone its party elections. This was followed by a similar announcement by the MCA.

Both postponements spread rumours like wildfire that the general election is just around the corner as BN components seemed to set aside internal strife to concentrate for a bigger battle.