GPS putting lives at stake by rushing for state election - S'wak political veteran
GPS' plan to lift the state of emergency so the state election can be held soon will put the people's lives at risk, warned Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Wong Soon Koh.
The Bawang Assan assemblyperson said the state government should instead be prioritising efforts to combat Covid-19.
"I can't believe that the state cabinet can still harbour the thought of having an early election when Sarawak is facing such a severe pandemic," he said in a statement last night.
"There is no need to rush it, and the government should place the health of the people above everything else as well as help the people to overcome all challenges," he added.
Sarawak is due to have state elections by June this year when the state assembly automatically dissolves after a five-year term.
GPS had been planning to hold the elections sooner than that.
However, Putrajaya threw a spanner into the state ruling coalition's plans after it declared a state of emergency nationwide that will last until Aug 1 tentatively.
Under the emergency, all elections have been suspended.
GPS is now planning to petition the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to lift the emergency in Sarawak and pave the way for the state election.
Sarawak is currently the only state not under the movement control order except for its Sibu district while Kuching and Miri are red zones.
There are currently 1,689 active Covid-19 cases in the state which reported 138 new cases today.
Previously, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was concerned that areas in the Sarawak interiors might not be able to cope with a rise in Covid-19 cases due to a lack of medical facilities if there was a state election.
The prime minister said the ability of frontliners and medical logistics will also be hindered by Sarawak's geography with some areas being difficult to access.
Wong's party PSB was previously the BN-friendly party UPP.
However, it is now in the opposition while GPS is a component of the Perikatan Nasional Plus government.
