KUCHING: Sarawakians have been urged not to get panic at the proclamation of a state of emergency by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah in containing the wave of Covid-19 pandemic that are sweeping the nation.
In making this call, Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo said it is the wisdom of the Agong to take measures to combat Covid-19 pandemic including an emergency where the lives of the people are at risk.
She said in fact, many other western democracies including Europe had declared emergency to stop the rampage of the virus.
“The greatest effect of the emergency is to stop all politicking whilst the nation tries to manage this health threat.
“Political squabbling and demanding change of government during the height of a public health crisis is the lowest form of politics which serves only politicians’ and party interests, and putting the people last,” she said on Tuesday (Jan 12).
She said the government can always be changed once the public health threat, where lives are at risk, is over.
“Politics must save lives, not endanger lives, and politicians must place people’s lives and safety above party politics,” she stressed.
Soo also believed that the health crisis could be curbed within half a year with stringent measures, vaccine for herd immunity, plus the cooperation of the public.
“We can surely wait for a few months until the pandemic crisis has ebbed, then we can go for elections to change the government. “It will not be too late then, but lives would have been saved,” she said.
