Election early next year ??

Get set for polls early next year, BN told
Heads of Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties were told at a meeting yesterday to be prepared to face general election early next year, said sources privy to the meeting.
The meeting, said to have lasted for about three hours, was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in the absence of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is on leave until Friday.
The meeting was held at the defence ministry in Jalan Padang Tembak, Kuala Lumpur. Najib is also the defence minister.
Sources told malaysiakini, on condition of anonymity, that those present were asked about the preparedness of the respective parties to contest the general election.
Legally the next polls are not due until end April 2009. However speculation is rife that it will be called much earlier.
At the meeting, Najib told fellow leaders to fine-tune their preparations and be prepared to face polls early next year, said the sources.
Several leaders based in Peninsular Malaysia are said to have told Najib that they are in the process of discussing seat-swapping arrangements.
Parties like MIC and Umno are believed to be holding talks over exchanging some parliamentary seats between them.
MIC is also believed to have asked for an extra state seat, for which no decision has been made by the BN supreme council.
Most of the party heads told Najib that they were “almost there” in facing the polls.
They were also told that a BN convention would be held just before the general election is called, to portray the ruling coalition’s unity and strength. It is expected to be held towards the end of this year, said the sources.
Along those lines, the BN will also play a big role in celebrating the nation’s 50th Merdeka.
The sources said Najib wants BN parties to lead the celebrations to “remind people that it was the BN (formerly Alliance) parties that won us independence from the British”.
With that in mind, the BN will hold a big bash at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur on the night of Aug 30. All cabinet members and BN leaders will be present.
The private sector has already been told to play down their celebrations that night so as not to over-shadow the BN event.
Islamic state issue
Yesterday’s meeting also briefly touched on the on-going contentious debate on the ‘Islamic state’ issue with Najib apparently seeking input from all the leaders on their stand.
While it was not a fiery affair, sources said Gerakan acting president Dr Koh Tsu Koon expressed opposition to the notion of Malaysia being deemed an Islamic state.
This was Koh’s first participation in a BN meeting after taking over from Dr Lim Keng Yaik, who stepped down on April 8.
The sources said Najib then told those present that there should not be any debate or public discussion on whether Malaysia is an Islamic state or a secular state, and to leave the matter as it stands.
Najib had touched a raw nerve when he declared last week that Malaysia is an Islamic state which also protects the rights of its non-Muslim minorities.
While this remark drew strong opposition and rebukes from various groups, it was BN-ally MCA’s open rebuttal that has caused some concern in Umno, the strongest partner in the ruling coalition.
The Chinese-based party pointed out that all historical documents and facts, as well as the Federal Constitution, indicate that Malaysia is a secular state with a majority Muslim population.