KUCHING, May 12 — Sarawak PKR today urged the state government to seek a special request from the federal government to expedite the acquisition of the Covid-19 vaccines so that the immunisation programme can be wrapped up by August, which will the allow the state election to be held.

State PKR Information chief Abun Sui Anyit said: “We do not want the term of the current State Legislative Assembly to be further extended when the State of Emergency ends in August.”

The current five-year term of the state assembly automatically ends on June 7, after which the state election should be held within 60 days.

However, the state assembly is being suspended and the state election could not be called following the declaration of the Emergency early this year.

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Abun told Malay Mail that he has also heard that the state government wants to purchase vaccines on its own since last year.

“But why are the vaccines not ordered yet?” he asked.

Abun said the state government should look into obtaining the vaccines urgently as the number of Sarawakians being infected with Covid-19 keeps increasing.

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Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA) chairman Datuk John Lau also urged the state government to acquire the service of more professionals to lead in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 infection.

He said people are suffering since March last year due to the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) and then the conditional movement control order (CMCO) and many areas have also been placed under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) and yet Covid-19 infection is spreading like bushfires.

“The Sarawak government may not have conducted any survey to assess the people’s wishes, but many people that I have talked to prefer a total lockdown,” he said when asked to comment on Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg’s statement earlier that he is in no rush to call for the state election.

In his Hari Raya Aidilfitri’s message, Abang Johari said he was not in a hurry to call for the state election as the Covid-19 situation is still not under control yet.

He said Sarawak, like many countries, is fully focused on efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 infection while implementing the immunisation programme for its 2.08 million people eligible to receive the vaccines.

Abang Johari explained that Sarawak is now trying to get enough supply of vaccines through negotiating and direct procurement from suppliers so that the immunisation programme can be completed by August.