Hadi rejects separate state polls for SG4 states

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has suggested holding the upcoming general election (GE16) in Malaysia simultaneously with state elections in Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, and Perlis – collectively known as the SG4 bloc. According to Hadi, the decision to dissolve state assemblies in these four states lies with Perikatan Nasional leaders.

He argued that conducting the state and federal polls concurrently would be more strategic and practical, sparing voters the trouble of voting twice. Hadi made these comments during a lecture at Rusila Mosque in Marang, Terengganu. He dismissed a proposal by Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan to hold a test election in Terengganu as a way to gauge PAS's commitment to Malay unity.

Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, PAS deputy president, rejected Mohamad's suggestion, stating that it would burden voters and incur unnecessary costs. Tuan Ibrahim expressed support for an early GE16 but maintained that his party did not have to agree with the proposal for early state elections as well. In the August 2023 Terengganu election, Umno contested 32 state seats but won none of them, while losing all eight parliamentary seats in the 15th general election held in 2022.