13th GE-Oraclers and Seers

Today, we have The Star jumping in as well in being a seer for the 13th GE.

It has looked at some analysts' forecast and has informed us that the GE will likely take place in September. And so goes the guessing game with red herrings galore,unlike in the USA when it has all been scheduled as if by tradition.

As usual the daily has its reasons for speculating the GE would likely occur in September and not in any of the earlier months except for June.

The basic premise is that many important issue need time for closure.

Then, there is the PM's travel to China and to the USA. The US event is insigniicfant. The two-day visit to China from March 31 he will attend the launch of the Qizhou Industrial Park in Nanning with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao can certainly be postponed or downgraded and delegated to the DPM or even the MITI Minister.

The STAR believes that PM may want to go to the USA function and then have a family get-away there just before the GE.

As for August, The Star thinks it is unlikely as it is the puasa month cum Hari Raya festive season and preparations for the national day has also to be organised.

With April just days away, Barisan Nasional component parties are still busy resolving seat swapping issues and the list of candidates has yet to be finalised. [Believe me, this is a tedious process and unhappiness can be brewed along the way and hotspots may emerge.]

June looks likely to be a good window for the election still. If not, then it has to be held after July when the fasting month will begin.

"The whole of August will be taken up by the Hari Raya celebrations and the run-up to National Day" says an analyst,adding that Najib could take advantage of feel-good factors such as the holiday mood and the Merdeka anniversary spirit of patriotism.

If September was picked, another analyst said, it would have to be the first week of the month.

“It cannot be late September as the haj season would have begun, ending only in October.Then, there is the Parliament meeting from Sept 24 until Nov 27, where the Budget needs to be tabled. Once it is tabled, it has to be approved by the Dewan Negara, which means it (the Budget session) will drag on until next year,” he said.

“The Dewan Rakyat is unlikely to be dissolved once the Budget has been tabled. It has to go all the way with the two Houses adopting it.”

Will The Star be the true prophet?

And so the guessing game continues................