‘Hold Sarawak polls now while Covid cases still low’
KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said it is an opportune time to hold the 12th Sarawak election now before any new Covid-19 variants appear and while the number of new cases remain low.
“We are afraid that if we wait until January or February, there may be a new variant. Like in July, when the cases had gone down, we waited, hoping it would go down further but it rose.
“That is what we are afraid of. If it is low now, there is no guarantee that in January or February the figure will continue to go down,” he said at the launching of Agriculture Community Outreach Programme (Agricop) and earth-breaking ceremony of a coffee and chips processing incubator at Teng Bukap in Padawan, here yesterday.
He noted that in addition, the months of January and February are usually the rainy season in the state which would not be a suitable time to hold the election.
Uggah, who is Minister of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, said that because of the strict standard operating procedures (SOP) and other remedial measures, the state has seen its positive cases decreasing greatly.
“But we still hope everyone will not be complacent and let their guard down. We still need to observe the current SOP and the new SOP for the election strictly to safeguard everyone,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uggah, who is Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president, advised Tarat voters to continue supporting its former assemblyman Datuk Roland Sagah if he is nominated by PBB to defend the seat.
“He is young, is capable and is hard working and has a very bright future ahead.
“As a lawyer, he has helped me a lot in dealing with Native Customary Right land matters and issues. He has taken out part of the burden from me,” he said.
Roland is also Uggah’s Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development.