PAS deputy chief says Terengganu snap polls unnecessary

Tuan Ibrahim Lutfi, deputy president of PAS, has rejected suggestions that Terengganu requires a snap election to validate the political coalition between the Islamic party and its allies.

Responding to statements from Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, known as Tok Mat, the PAS leader stressed that elections serve a different purpose than measuring the sincerity of political partnerships.

"Elections are about obtaining a mandate from the people, not as a tool to gauge the genuineness of political cooperation," Tuan Ibrahim was reported to have said. He argued that the current state government already possesses a legitimate democratic mandate from the previous election, making a fresh poll unnecessary.

The remarks come amid ongoing discussions about the stability of state coalitions in Malaysia, where political realignments have become increasingly common. PAS has been a key component of the ruling federal coalition and maintains significant influence in several state governments.

Tuan Ibrahim's position suggests that PAS views the existing electoral mandate as sufficient to govern Terengganu without the need for fresh elections to revalidate political alliances or demonstrate the strength of the partnership between coalition partners.