KUCHING, Nov 6 — Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is risking a potential Covid-19 super spreader event by insisting to go for state election before the year ends, said Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo.

She said that the Sarawak government was delusional to claim that having a high vaccination rate means safety as she alleged that the state has the highest Covid-19 infection rate and deaths in relation to vaccination rate and population size, trumping all other states with lower vaccination rates.

She also questioned whether GPS has learnt from other highly vaccinated countries like Israel and Singapore, where they have been experiencing surges in breakthrough infections despite being two of the most vaccinated countries in the world.

"The GPS government is choosing politics where they must win at all costs, over the lives of Sarawakians, even to the point of taking action to get the Emergency lifted prematurely, and risking a potential Covid-19 super spreader event,” she said in a statement today.

She also countered claims made by GPS leaders that it would be betrayal to the people in not protecting their rights if the election is not held this year, stressing that hastening the election before the year is out is in reality a betrayal to our youths and voters.

She explained GPS is deliberately depriving young Sarawakians aged 18 to 20 years old of their right to choose their government when GPS could have waited to allow these youths to exercise their voting right under Undi 18 which takes effect from Jan 1, 2022.

"By insisting to go for election just a few days shy of the implementation of the Undi18 vote, by denying many Sarawakians to come home to vote, by exposing many voters especially the elderly to risk in a potential super spreader event, and depriving political parties of a fair election by imposing restrictions in the name of Covid-19 SOPs (standard operating procedures) which practically dispossesses small parties of any campaigning rights, GPS is assured of a walkover victory.

"But what a hollow victory — of which no self-respecting and conscionable political party should be proud of — and a crying shame in the name of democracy,” said Soo. — Borneo Post Online