KUCHING, Oct 3 ― A DAP lawmaker has voiced his opposition for any elections to be held before end of this year, following rumours that both the Sarawak state and general elections will happen soon.

Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said he strongly believed the timing is not right for any elections, not just because of the rising Covid-19 cases but also the need for the government to focus on recovering the economy and curbing the spread of the virus.

“While I understand there may be ‘political advantage’ for the incumbent state government to call for an election, I think at this period, all efforts must be concentrated to curb the virus and protect the lives of our people and also their livelihood.

“So in the meantime, we all play a role to follow all the necessary standard operating procedures (SOPs) and precautions to keep this virus at bay. The country cannot afford another Movement Control Order (MCO) as it will have huge economic, social and even mental health repercussions,” he said in a statement yesterday.

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He cited the case in Sabah where there is now a spike of cases following the recently concluded state election.

He pointed out that when the previous chief minister Datuk Seri Shafie Afdal called for state election, no one had foreseen the drastic increase of Covid-19 cases, as it only happened late into the elections or right before the campaigning period.

“Shafie dissolved assembly on July 30 when there was only 3 cases, and the spike only really happened from September 8.

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“So it may be the same for the Sarawak elections. While the Covid-19 numbers may not seem high right now in Sarawak, we will never know how the trend of cases will change in the future especially during the campaigning period.

And even implementing strict procedures or immigration control during elections, what we are hindering is rightful Sarawakians that are working or studying in other parts of Malaysia to come back to Sarawak to vote for the elections. That itself is against the spirit of democracy and the right of everyone to vote,” he said.

There have been rumours that the Sarawak state election could be held as early as next month, although the current term of the State Legislate Assembly only ends in June next year. ― Borneo Post