Milton Foo
KUCHING (Oct 22): Political parties should make full use of the internet and information technology to campaign during the state election if rallies are banned due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Youth secretary Milton Foo said.
Agreeing with Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing’s suggestion to prohibit mass rallies if the state polls are held soon, he said that the people should take advantage of the technology that is now available.
“We must practice new norms in politics too during and after pandemic. No physical ‘ceramah’ (public rallies) but online ‘ceramah’. No physical gathering but do Facebook live or Zoom to interact with the voters,” he said.
“In the 19th century, people took months to travel by vessel from west to east in order to meet each other. In the 20th century, it took hours by plane. In the 21st century, it takes only seconds by video call devices.”
Masing, who is also Parti Rakyat Sarawak president, had earlier today suggested banning public rallies when contacted by The Borneo Post over the possibility of the state polls being held now when the number of Covid-19 cases in the country were escalating.
He believed that with stringent standard operating procedures in place and strictly enforced, the polls could be held safely as could be seen in Singapore, South Korea and New Zealand which had their elections recently amid the pandemic.
Foo also agreed with Masing’s suggestion that non-Sarawakians be stopped from coming into Sarawak during the campaign period.
“Let us Sarawakians handle our own matters and affairs. Always safety first, election comes second,” he told The Borneo Post today.
He said the election in South Korea was a good study case for the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) and the Election Commission (EC) if the state polls were to be held soon.
During the South Korean polls, candidates were not allowed to gather in large numbers, forcing them to hold live talk shows with voters online and posting clips of them interacting with citizens and even introducing popular restaurants located in their districts, said Foo.
There is growing concern in Sarawak that the state election could be held soon after the Sabah polls led to a major surge in Covid-19 cases in the country.
It has been rumoured that the state polls could be held before the end of the year.