KUCHING, Oct 31 — Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) appeals to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on behalf of the people of Sarawak not to lift the emergency in the state before its expiry on Feb 1, 2022.

In a statement yesterday, PSB Secretariat said the news that a highly infectious strain of Covid-19 has been detected in Sarawak coupled with 80 per cent capacity usage of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facilities in Sarawak showed the state’s public health stands at a critical juncture.

It said that any election now will pose grave danger to the health and lives of the people of Sarawak.

"Do not let Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) dissolve the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) now. The heath and lives of the people of Sarawak are at stake. GPS has publicly declared that any dissolution of the DUN now is at the discretion of His Majesty the King even though it is at their request. They are passing the buck to His Majesty.

"We therefore appeal to His Majesty, in his wisdom, not to agree to any request by GPS to end the emergency before February 1, 2022,” it said.

PSB Secretariat added that if lives are lost as a result of GPS’ rush to election before December 31 this year, history will judge GPS and its component parties for their roles in it.

"The lives of everyone are at risk, ourselves, our family members, our loved ones, our friends, colleagues, associates, everyone we know.

"It is time for GPS components to acquire the courage to stand up and speak for the people of Sarawak. Their silence is deafening. They do not have the nerve to stand up to Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB). They can only follow,” it said.

PSB Secretariat said that GPS wants an early election based on "the nonsensical reason that they need a new mandate now even though their mandate expired in June”.

"The truth is their fear of how the new young voters of Undi18 will vote. They worry about their political future. They worry about losing political power. That is all they are concerned about,” it said.

Earlier yesterday, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Institute of Health and Community Medicine (IHCM) revealed that a total of 780 additional Variants of Concern (VOC) had been detected from 782 Covid-19 positive cases sequenced in Sarawak as of October 8.

In his latest report to Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, IHCM director Professor Dr David Perera said all of these VOC were of the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant.

He said that further analysis of the Delta variant "indicates that the dominant circulating Delta lineage in Sarawak is the AY.23 sub-lineage”.

"Other Delta sub-lineages sporadically detected include the AY.24 (one case each in Kuching, Miri and Sibu), AY.33 (one case in Bintulu), AY.34 (one case in Samarahan and two cases in Bintulu) and the AY.37 (two cases in Kuching).

"The AY.23 sub- lineage is also the current dominant circulating Delta lineage driving the current outbreak in Singapore,” he was quoted as saying. — Borneo Post