THE Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has urged the Election Commission (EC) to disallow any forms of physical campaigning in the lead-up to the Melaka state polls, which is expected to be held on Nov 20.
“We may be in the recovery phase of the pandemic but we are still not out of the woods, and therefore digital or virtual platforms should be used to campaign in order to prevent another surge of COVID-19,” said association president Dr Koh Kar Chai.
As such, MMA has strongly advised against the traditional way of political campaigning as any physical face-to-face meetings between politicians and the people can lead to increased close contact and spread of COVID-19 in the state and nationwide since interstate travel is now allowed.
“The usual ‘old norm’ of political campaigning which involves house to house visits, gatherings and ceramahs should be avoided.
“If politicians truly have the best interests of the people at heart, they should show it by choosing ways to campaign that are safe and not put the people at risk of COVID-19,” Dr Koh insisted.
According to Koh, it did not matter that the country currently has a high vaccination rate of over 90% as COVID-19 is still spreading even among the fully vaccinated who can be infected and transmit the disease to high-risk or unvaccinated individuals, including children below the age of 12.
“Although the authorities have given the assurance that strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be in place, the question we should also be asking is who will be responsible if cases surge again in Melaka?
“The mistakes and failures to control the spread of COVID-19 during the Sabah state elections held last year must not be repeated in Melaka. There has to be and we must all insist on full accountability this time around.
“What we don’t need now is another surge in COVID-19 cases,” he added. – Oct 20, 2021
