OCTOBER 1 — Our country is in the midst of another political uncertainty. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made an announcement last week that he has obtained majority support to form a new government.

But nothing is certain in politics. For all we know, we could end up with a snap election if the situation remains unresolved.

The recently concluded Sabah elections is a case in point. It was triggered following the Perikatan Nasional’s political ruse in enticing kataks to join them. Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal had little choice but to call for the dissolution of the state assembly.

However, I strongly believe that now is not the time for any more elections.

I was in Sabah for over two weeks during the election period. I was based in Tawau to assist DAP’s candidate, Justin Wong, for the N69 Sri Tanjong constituency.

As we know, Tawau was one of the Covid-19 red zones.

Midway through the campaign, we had to cancel most of the campaigning activities which involved physical contact, such as walkabouts and ceramahs. This greatly hindered our ability to reach out to voters.

Many local businesses were fearful of the surge in Covid-19 cases. I noticed that many shops in Tawau voluntarily closed or limited their operations as the number of cases increased.

Some food stalls stopped their dining-in service and only allowed take-aways. Several schools and markets were closed by the local authorities, eventually requiring shops to close at 6pm.

I was also told that many locals started heading out of Tawau to other cities in anticipation of a lockdown. This was indeed the reversal of the call to balik undi.

When I arrived back in KLIA on September 23, there were no health screenings at all in the airport. I could walk from the arrival gate to my car without being stopped or any questions asked. The mandatory testing only started on September 27, a day after the elections.

It was no coincidence that the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) and mandatory testing was only imposed officially a day after the Sabah elections.

It was clear that the government was holding it back, despite many of the restrictions, such as roadblocks and shortening of business hours, had already started gradually a week before.

Having elections during a pandemic such as Covid-19 is a serious threat to public health and safety. The Sabah elections may have escalated the recent resurgence in Covid-19 cases throughout Malaysia.

Elections would not be "free” under such circumstances because public health is at stake. Voters would rightly not come out to vote due to fear, resulting in a low voter turnout as in the case of Sabah.

As I have mentioned, the ongoing political uncertainty could lead to a snap election. In fact, the prime minister himself has said that he may call for an early election if his coalition wins in Sabah. Additionally, the Sarawak state election is also due soon.

Now is not the time for elections. I urge all parties to not take such risks. We should instead be focusing on containing the Covid-19 resurgence and strengthening our economy.

* Khoo Poay Tiong is MP Kota Melaka.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer(s) or organisation(s) and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.