Pakatan states to follow suit as PM dissolves Parliament

Debra Chong, Md Izwan and Opalyn Mok, TMI

The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state governments will dissolve their respective legislative assemblies today and pave the way for simultaneous polls nationwide after the prime minister announced the dissolution of Parliament this morning.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim will seek an audience with Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah at 1.30pm at the state palace in Shah Alam, the mentri besar’s political secretary told The Malaysian Insider when contacted.

“Today, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim will have an audience with the Sultan at 1.30pm at the Istana Alam Shah,” Faekah Husin said over the phone.

“MB will meet the Sultan for his approval to dissolve the DUN,” she said, referring to the state legislative assembly by its Malay acronym.

She said the mentri besar will inform the media about the state assembly’s dissolution only after meeting the state ruler.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is expected to declare the northern state’s legislative assembly dissolved in a news conference at 12.30pm in George Town today.

Lim and State Assembly Speaker Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain first need to get the approval from Yang Di-Pertuan Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas, at the Penang govenor’s Seri Mutiara official residence.

The mentris besar for Kedah and Kelantan, the other two PR-run states, are also expected to follow suit and seek audience with their respective state rulers.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat live over national television at 11.30am, paving the way for Malaysia’s 13th general election.

A total of 222 federal seats and 505 state seats will be contested in Election 2013.

Sarawak, which helf its state election in April 2011, is not expected to dissolve its legislative assembly.

Politicians from both the ruling Barisan Nasional and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat have been talking up their chances for a bigger win than they had scored in Election 2008.