KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah opines that any election should be held after the Covid-19 outbreak in the country is over.

This move, he said, was to ensure the full participation of the people who are currently bound by the movement control order and standard operating procedures (SOP).

"We want the election to be as free, fair and open as possible. That is democracy, but if there are a lot of SOP and restrictions, is democracy still preserved in the context of controlled elections?” he said in a special interview with Buletin Awani today.

In this regard, he said the best move for now was not to hold any election.

"... not to avoid the election but to postpone it. Perhaps, one way is to declare state of emergency in the area, but not for politics… to ensure that the people can participate fully and effectively in the election process,” he said.

For the record, the Election Commission will hold the Batu Sapi by-election in Sabah on Dec 5. Apart from that, Sarawak will also hold state elections when the current term of its state legislative assembly ends on June 7, 2021. — Bernama