No rush for state election

CM heeds health experts’ advice to hold back state elections, says people’s wellbeing comes first

The people are more important. I have mentioned it before we have always put the safety and health of the people (first) and will only want to see the election held if the situation allows us to.

Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg

KOTA SAMARAHAN: Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg yesterday emphasised that the health of Sarawakians is a priority of the state government, amid concern that the state election could be held during the current surge in Covid-19 cases.

While the chief minister agreed that the polls were inevitable, he indicated that he was in no hurry to seek the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) whose term expires in the middle of next year.

Abang Johari reiterated that he was guided by the Health Ministry and experts as well as by the preparedness of the Election Commission (EC) to deal with the pandemic in deciding when to call the polls.

“Why should you rush? The people are more important. I have mentioned it before, we have always put the safety and health of the people (first) and will only want to see the election be held if the situation allows us to,” he told a press conference at the Kota Samarahan Civic Centre.

He thus assured Sarawakians that there was no way the state government would want to put the lives of Sarawakians in danger, despite the nation’s constitution demanding the state hold its election by next year.

This was because the state government is well aware of the aftermath of holding elections during the time of Covid-19, he added.

“We need to monitor the situation from time to time too. If the election is to be held, it means that we won’t be putting the health of Sarawakians at risk,” he said.

Abang Johari was answering a question from reporters who asked for his opinion on Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s comment that the upcoming Sarawak state election and the Batu Sapi by-election will still have to take place amid Covid-19 unless an Emergency is declared.

Citing the Federal Constitution, the prime minister said the elections will still have to go on, but he noted the concerns of the EC staff who fear of contracting Covid-19 while serving during polling.

“If you ask me there should be no elections now as the Covid-19 cases are spiking, however, we can’t call it off unless we declare a state of emergency,” Muhyiddin said recently during a surprise address.

The Sarawak State Constitution states that an election must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of the DUN.

However, the DUN is not set to be automatically dissolved until June next year, which would allow a state election to be held as far away as August next year.

Since the first sitting of the DUN after the May 2016 state election was on June 7, 2016, the automatic dissolution will only happen on June 7, 2021.

From that date, the EC has to hold an election within 60 days of the automatic dissolution.

During the press conference, Abang Johari also commented on the need to improve water supply to residents of Samarahan Division as soon as possible.

“Among the things which we would do to improve water supply for the people in Samarahan Division is strengthen some bridges in the division such as the Batang Sadong bridge, for example, to carry the weight of water pipes across it too,” he said.

Works to strengthen the Batang Sadong bridge for the purpose of carrying the weight of water pipes across it is currently ongoing. Before the press conference, Abang Johari had officiated a ‘leader-meet-thepeople’ event at the same venue.

Also present during the event were state Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and other officials.