Senator Alan Ling
MIRI (Oct 17): Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sarawak today urged the state government not to rush into holding the state election if it prioritises the safety and wellbeing of the people in view of the Covid-19 situation in the state.
Its secretary Senator Alan Ling in an interview today said Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders must stop talking about any issue relating to the state election for the time being but should instead focus on addressing the Covid-19 situation in the state which is alarming.
“I urge GPS leaders to immediately stop talking about any issue relating to state polls. The main agenda now should be focusing on controlling and managing Covid-19 situation in the state, as Sarawak has been topping the list nationwide (highest Covid-19 cases) in the last few weeks,” he said.
Ling lamented that Sarawak has only about three million population, but the number of infections recorded daily, including brought-in-dead (BID) cases is relatively high.
He thus called for the state government to address the issue promptly.
“The government should also use all the available resources to not only combat Covid-19 but to address other issues such as the deteriorating economy which affects many businesses and sectors in the state,” Ling said.
He said even when the Emergency expires on Feb 2, next year, the state government still has to see whether it is already safe to hold an election then.
“This is because we do not want to jeopardise the people’s safety, wellbeing and health,” he added.
Ling also reminded the state government not to forget the implication of Sabah state election had on its people and the overall Covid-19 situation in the country last year.
“We do not want to repeat the history in Sabah. Even now, Sarawak recorded four digit cases daily. I cannot imagine if we were to hold state election which involves all 82 seats – in urban and rural areas where we all have to go through campaign periods, casting votes.
“Therefore, there is no need to rush state election unless the GPS leaders blatantly disregard the safety and wellbeing of Sarawakians,” he said.
The Sarawak Legislative Assembly’s (DUN) five-year term expired in June this year but the election was postponed following the declaration of Emergency by Yang di-Pertuan Agong until Feb 2, next year.