LUNDU (Sarawak), March 13 — The Election Commission is always ready to hold a general election, EC chairman Datuk Seri Hashim Abdullah said today.
“Don’t worry. We make preparations in terms of logistics and such, all the time. We have made all preparations. Recently, we were able to immediately swing into action when an elected representative died. For our staff too, this is not the first time they will be handling a general election,” he said.
“We have no problem if there is an early general election or whatever. God willing, we will conduct it as best as possible.
“In Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu, Kelantan, peninsula-wide... we conduct training all the time. We don’t wait for the general election to conduct training,” he said.
Mohd Hashim was asked to comment on a social media viral message that a government department issued an internal circular freezing leave for personnel and personal trips abroad, which triggered speculation on the possibility of an early general election.
Speaking to reporters after handing over appreciation certificates to Tanjong Datu by-election workers at the Lundu Community Hall here today, he said the issue of freezing leave was up to the respective departments.
On the presence of EC officers in Lundu today, Mohd Hashim said it was to conduct a post-mortem on the Tanjung Datu by-election to identify weaknesses and show appreciation to those involved for their roles in the by-election. — Bernama
