BANDAR Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii has criticised the Sarawak state government’s decision to rush an election by pushing for the lifting of the Emergency Order in the state.
“We had the advantage of observing and even doing a proper assessment of the potential COVID-19 damage stemming from the Melaka polls before making the decision to hold the Sarawak state polls but instead, political considerations trump health concerns,” he said.
According to Yii, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government’s request for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to lift the Emergency Proclamation is “not only disrespectful but also reckless and irresponsible” because it “deliberately deprives more than 125,000 of our youths a chance to participate in the upcoming state elections”.
Yii had previously pointed out that any attempt to hold the Sarawak state election before the implementation of Undi18 and the automatic voter registration (AVR) is a direct act of voter suppression.
He also said that this will be seen as an attempt to suppress the voices of the youth and deprive them of an active role in determining the future direction of Sarawak and Malaysia as a whole.
“No rational justification”
According to Yii, there is no rational justification for the Sarawak government to push the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to lift the Emergency in Sarawak which is scheduled to end in just a few more months’ time.
He elaborated that the Emergency wasn’t previously opposed due to the COVID-19 situation in the state which made it difficult for the state elections to be held in view of what had happened previously during the Sabah state elections in September 2020.
“Mind you, currently our COVID-19 situation is still far from ideal with ICU occupancies and even death rates per population being one of the highest in the nation,” Yii justified.
“This is dangerous, and if the state elections turn out to be a ‘super-spreader event’, our healthcare facilities will be in no condition to handle the sudden surge. This will result in lesser quality of care for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.”
According to Yii, a number of GPS leaders had come out to justify the push to lift the Emergency Proclamation, saying that this is to uphold democracy.
“What they are doing is voter suppression as it not only deprived the 18 to 21-year-old Sarawakian youths a chance to vote but holding an election when we have yet to successfully control the pandemic will result in lower voter turnout which is against the spirit of democracy.”
Yii went on to point out that GPS secretary-general Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi had attempted to justify that they “want an early election because of the concern of waning effects of the vaccine”.
“That itself is a clear sign that both the Federal Government and state government needs to make sure that those eligible needs to get the booster dose, especially the immunocompromised and those in high-risk groups,” he remarked.
“In Sarawak, we are already experiencing the effects of waning vaccine effectiveness over time due to high number of breakthrough positive cases, so it is irresponsible to risk an election.”
Rather, Yii opined that all hands must be on deck to make sure that people get the optimum protection from the vaccine.
“We have at least until February 2022 to make sure that nobody is left behind but instead they wanted to call for an early election before all those in need had received their booster doses.
“Earlier in announcing his decision His Majesty had explicitly expressed his concerns and views that the country is still struggling to face the threat of COVID-19 and the spread of the virus is still at an alarming level.
“However, such concerns expressed were not taken into account, and what seemed more important is the political advantage the politicians might have even at the expense of the safety and health of our people.” – Nov 4, 2021
