PSB ‘prepared’ for imminent state polls amidst worsening pandemic

Parti Sarawak Bersatu logo

KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) will be prepared for the battles, if the 12th state election is imminent amidst the worsening Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement today, PSB said its party leaders including president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh and secretary-general George Lo had appealed to the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government not to call an early election in light of the recent spike of Covid-19 infections.

However, the state election seemed imminent following the recent special address by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who said the election could be stopped only through the declaration of a state of emergency.

Prior to the special address, Yang di-Pertuan Agong had announced that there was no need for Malaysia to enter a state of emergency.

“Despite so, PSB is still of the opinion that it is unwise and inappropriate to call the election now. The Covid-19 situation in Sarawak is getting from bad to worse, and schools in Kuching which has been declared as a red zone are ordered to close.

“SDMC (Sarawak Disaster Management Committee) has admitted that it could not trace the source of some infections, and even director-general of Health Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has advised not to hold an election to help break the chain of Covid-19 infections,” stressed PSB.

PSB said the current term of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) would expire only mid-2021, and there was no urgency for the GPS government to call an early election.

It noted that the Election Commission (EC) had also advised Sarawak not to hold the election given the Covid-19 crisis, but GPS insisted that the state election was a state matter which required no intervention.

PSB said it was toothless when it came to stopping the election, but it hoped that the Sarawak government would restrain the visits of non-Sarawakians, be they from the opposition or ruling coalitions, for the election campaigns.

“Do not practise double standards but prohibit all extra hands from Peninsular Malaysia from taking part in the election campaigns. This is to minimise the risks of infections,” added PSB.

The post PSB ‘prepared’ for imminent state polls amidst worsening pandemic appeared first on Borneo Post Online.

from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/2HRv8la
via IFTTT