Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at the press conference yesterday. – Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (Dec 17): Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah hopes that the Sarawak state election will not be delayed by an emergency declaration when it is held next year in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu vice president said there were by-elections in Malaysia which had been recently postponed due to the emergency decree, and he hoped it would not be same for the state polls.
“We don’t know when is the date of the state election, but I do hope that the state of emergency will not be declared or passed to postpone our state election,” he told a press conference after the World Crafts Council Asia Pacific – Excellent Craft Award Ceremony 2020 here today.
Abdul Karim, also the Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister, said the state government was trying hard to control the spread of Covid-19 pandemic and as a result, Sarawak had been recording single digit cases daily for several weeks.
He said he too feared that Covid-19 cases could rise if the elections are held now but stressed that the term of the current Sarawak state legislative assembly (DUN) will end on June 6 next year, and the polls must be held within 60 days if the term expires automatically.
“So by August 6, it must be held. But if it (DUN) is dissolved before June 6 then it must be held within two months from the date of dissolution. I hope that the state of emergency does not apply to Sarawak. I just hope that we do not have to go through that,” he said.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg had revealed that he had planned to call the state election before the end of this year but he did not go ahead with it due to the spike in Covid-19 cases.
“The state government is very caring and the people’s health comes first so I’ve decided to postpone the state elections to next year,” he said on Monday.
Abang Johari had also said previously that the state would be guided by health experts and the Election Commission’s preparedness in deciding when to call the polls amid the pandemic.
Malaysia saw its cases skyrocket after the Sabah snap polls in September. Sabah has become the state with the most cases at 33,823 out of the 89,133 cases nationwide as of Thursday.
Since the state polls, the King has made the Proclamation of Emergency to defer three by-elections.
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