SIBU, Dec 15 ― Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh has dispelled the misconception among certain members of the public that they can only cast their votes during the specific time allocated to them by the Election Commission (EC) on polling day.

The Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president explained that voters can exercise their rights any time during the opening hours of a polling station.

He pointed out that the specified time is only EC’s guideline to avoid congestion on polling day, which is part of the standard operating procedure (SOP).

"Voters have been informed that they are to turn up to vote during a specific time given (to them), for example, 9am to 10am, or 9am to 11am.

"People may feel that this is the time allocated to them, they may not be too free (to come out to vote). But I would like to tell people that this is only a guideline set by EC, informing voters to come out at certain time, in order to avoid congestion. This is part of the SOP.

"Please, members of the public do not have this misconception that if you do not turn up to vote within the allocated time for you, you can’t vote ― no. You can vote any time at the time given for that polling station (to operate), for example, if it is from 8am till 5pm, you can turn up any time to vote (within the opening hours),” Wong told a press conference here yesterday.

Commenting further, the Bawang Assan incumbent believed that in general, a lot of the people are a bit reluctant to turn up to cast their votes on the polling day.

"The Covid-19 pandemic is still very much alive with us although the figures have come down, a lot of people believe that the figures don’t reflect the actual situation of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"They are reluctant to turn up to vote because they worry that they may be infected (by the virus),” he said.

Moreover, people have witnessed confusion in the political arena, particularly over the past one or two years, Wong noted.

"There was this changing of government, backdoor government, members of parliament (MPs) or state assemblymen jumping ship, hopping from one party to another.

"So, people as a whole feel that there is little meaning in exercising their democratic rights. Meaning, whoever they vote, may not be trusted. And so, they feel disappointed or even down-hearted when it comes to voting,” he said.

Understanding the concerns of the people, Wong appealed to them to come to exercise their rights, saying the 12th state election is a crucial one.

"We believe this is the time for change. If we don’t change, everything will be status quo for the next five years. If we change, we will bring new hope to the people of Sarawak.

"Let PSB be the change to improve our lives and bring hope to the future of our children,” he said.

Also present at the press conference were PSB candidates Wong Hie Ping (Dudong), Dr Low Chong Nguan (Pelawan), Andrew Ting (Bukit Assek) and Intanurazean Wan Sapuan Daud (Nangka). ― Borneo Post