BY SITI NURAIN RATANI
KUCHING: Candidates contesting in the 12th state election next month should not hold campaigns that could invite the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
Assistant Minister of Corporate Affairs and Sarawak Public Communications Unit (UKAS), Datuk Abdullah Saidol said the state election this time would be very different from the previous ones and candidates must comply with all standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the Election Commission (EC), Ministry of Health (MoH) and other relevant agencies.
“All candidates including the party machinery must ensure the safety and health of the residents are taken care of during campaigning in the areas.
“We don’t want new clusters to happen — this will definitely be a bitter victory for the candidate,” he said during a ‘Budi Kita Sarawakku Sayang’ programme here, on Thursday (Nov 25).
Elaborating, Abdullah said any candidate should not be too passionate to campaign so as to endanger the lives of the people in the respective area.
“In gaining support, we must also focus on the safety and health of the people,” he pointed out.
The Semop incumbent assemblyman was confident that the community would be able to evaluate good candidates to form the Sarawak government.
“People can assess and see candidates who are able to keep their promises.
“The community certainly wants elected representatives who are able to rehabilitate the state, especially in terms of economy and others,” he stressed.
The Covid-19 prevention guidelines for the 12th state election are expected to be announced in the near future after they are scrutinised and finalised by all relevant parties.
EC chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh has said that the SOPs for the 12th Sarawak election were being updated by the MoH, National Security Council, police as well as the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC).
