Use Emergency period to ease sufferings, not for politicking – Aspirasi

Lina Soo

KUCHING (Aug 3): All political parties should help to ease the suffering of the rakyat in any way they can, rather than politicking, during the State of Emergency, said Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi).

Its president Lina Soo said all political parties must stay calm and help the people in constructive ways, rather then to cause agitation, as the people are looking for comfort, not turbulence and instability.

She said Sarawakians also need not be excited over politics at federal level, given that history has shown that whoever is in power at federal level does not benefit Sarawakians because it is “still the same corrupt and racist government”.

She believes that any change in the federal government is just like changing the teapot without changing the tea.

“With the fifth surge of the Delta variant now sweeping across more than a hundred countries, Sarawakians must stay on the alert, and be vigilant at all times.

“Even if restrictions are relaxed, we should still not rush out, but go out only when necessary and observe all standard operating procedures (SOPs),” she said in responding to the state being placed under Emergency Order.

Soo said the Emergency is a welcoming news because everyone and every political party must face reality and put lives first over politics.

She lamented that the number of cases nationwide which stubbornly stay high is “very, very worrisome”.

She noted that Sarawak already has more cases of the Delta variant reported, saying that this is very troubling especially since Delta cases can be confirmed only two weeks after samples are sent to the lab, by which time those infected could have already unknowingly passed on the Delta variant to a lot of people.

“The Delta variant is super infectious and as data have shown, infects the fully vaccinated as well as the unvaccinated persons.

“The Delta (variant) does not recognise who is vaccinated and who is unvaccinated and those vaccinated are spreaders as well, as Israel, UK and Gibraltar have shown.

“Already there are dire forecasts of the Delta variant predicted to be on the rampage towards the end of the year,” she cautioned.

Soo said given that Delta variant had been detected in Sarawak, it is not a good time to have a state election as an election is a spreader event.

She cautioned that if Sarawak has an election now, many people are not going to come out to vote, and many Sarawakians can’t come home to vote.

That, she noted, would be meaningless because it is denying the people their right to vote.

“So an extended emergency in Sarawak to delay the election until voters can turn up at polling booths is a prudent decision. Prevention is always better than cure.

“The impact on Sarawak politics is we just have to wait it out. We should place lives before politics. It is not the right time for politicking now.

“The people are already suffering and many have lost their jobs and income, and some have lost their loved ones because of Covid-19. We will need time for a recovery period,” she said.

from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3s1YuQN
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