KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki has called on both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) to not contest the Batu Sapi by-election amidst skyrocketing Covid-19 cases in the country.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Asyraf instead suggested that the parliamentary seat should remain with Parti Warisan Sabah following the death of Datuk Liew Vui Keong.
“Umno Youth proposes to Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership not to field any candidate to contest in the Sabah’s Batu Sapi Parliament [seat] following the death of parliamentarian, the late Datuk Liew Vui Keong.
“This takes into account the contagious pandemic of the Covid-19 pandemic which is spreading in the state of Sabah to the point of causing security risks to the people,” he said.
“The same proposal is also recommended to all other political parties including the Perikatan Nasional to maintain the status quo of the position of Batu Sapi Parliament under the Warisan party, ahead of the by-election which must be held within 60 days in accordance with Article 54 (1) of the Federal Constitution.”
Liew was previously admitted to Gleneagles Hospital on September 8 for a slipped disc but later contracted a lung infection from pneumonia. He died on October 2.
The 60-year-old was a lawyer by training. He was formerly Liberal Democratic Party president before he joined Warisan in 2018.
Liew left behind his wife and four children.
Asyraf also called on politicians from both sides of the political divide focus on containing the Covid-19 outbreak.
“The current focus should be on preventing the outbreak of Covid-19 virus from spreading while helping the people cope with the hardships of life affected by the economic downturn due to this endless pandemic.
“Umno Youth believes that it is time for politicians to cross the party boundaries to be able to stand in solidarity and express a great soul to set aside differences and strife for the safety and well-being of the people,” he said.
Earlier today, the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) launched a campaign called PauseMalaysia, urging all politicians and political parties to stop their allegedly power-grabbing ways and focus on safeguarding Malaysians from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Today, Malaysia recorded 489 new Covid-19 cases, down from the record daily high of 691 yesterday.
