SIBU: Sarawak police have yet to detect any hotspots in the 12th State Election (PRN12), said State Police Commissioner Datuk Aidi Ismail.
However, he said, the police would continue to monitor standard operating procedures (SOP) and control the situation during PRN12 which will be held in the near future.
He said so far, the political problem in Sarawak was not so serious.
“So far, no area has been identified as an election hotspot despite disputes between political parties in several areas in the last election.
“It is not serious in Sarawak but we take into account past incidents as a precautionary measure to avoid any untoward incidents,” he said.
He disclosed this to the media after witnessing a handover ceremony between the retiring Sibu District police chief ACP Stanley Jonathan Ringgit and his deputy Supt Collin Babat at the Sibu District Police Headquarters (IPD), on Thursday (Nov 11).
Meanwhile, Aidi reminded all political parties contesting in the state election to abide by the SOP to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
He stressed that the police would not hesitate to take action against any political party found to be violating the SOP, especially in relation to physical campaigns involving the public.
“The police will provide fair service to all parties. We will not be partial if there is a violation of the SOP,” added Aidi.
The police commissioner said the Election Commission (EC) has not issued any SOP for Sarawak’s election so far.
However, he believed that the SOP is not much different from the ones implemented in Melaka’s state election.
Hence, he said the SOP that would be issued later will help the police monitor the the election process in the state.
“We hope the situation is under control and peaceful and no untoward incidents occur in the upcoming state election,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Stanley who has served in the police force for almost 39 years will retire effective on Friday (Nov 12).
Collin will assume his responsibilities as the acting Sibu District police chief until the Bukit Aman Police Headquarters names Stanley’s successor.
