No election please till year end, Sarawak Opposition tells state govt

KUCHING, Oct 13 — Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh today urged the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to refrain from calling for the state election before the end of this year.

He said the rumour mills have been going into overdrive that the statewide Emergency will be lifted and the state assembly dissolved this month for an election next month.

“Both PSB and the state DAP have come out with strong statements to condemn any attempt by GPS to dissolve the State Assembly now when the Covid-19 pandemic in Sarawak is at its height,” the Bawang Assan assemblyman said in a statement.

Wong noted Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg has not denied the rumours.

“Instead, we hear from some GPS lower echelon leaders purportedly defending any decision to call an election now, on the ground that an election is overdue since the term of the State Assembly expired on June 6 this year.

“This excuse is pure nonsense because, if that were the case, the election could have been called when the National Emergency expired on August 1.

“Instead, Emergency was proclaimed for Sarawak from  August 2 2021 to last until February 2 next year on the ground of the Covid-19 pandemic in Sarawak,” he said.

He noted that the daily Covid-19 infections have been going up, pointing that two days ago on October 11, the cases numbered 1,037. In comparison, it was 464 on July 28 — the day before the proclamation of the Emergency for Sarawak.

The number of cases in Sarawak dropped to 834 yesterday.

Wong also said despite the Undi18 court order, those aged 18 to 21 will not be able to vote should the state election be held next month as the Election Commission was still not ready.

He added by December 31, there will be a big group of additional young voters who will cast their votes.

“Any excuse that the term of the current state assembly has expired and an election must be held before end of this year will sound hollow and false to all right-thinking Sarawakians,” he said.

He asked GPS to look at the example of Sabah where the Covid-19 numbers surged in the aftermath of the Sabah state election which then spread throughout the rest of Malaysia.