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PETALING JAYA: The sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in Sabah should serve as an “alarm” against holding early general elections, the country’s leading medical experts warned.
University of Malaya Academic Emeritus Datuk Dr. Lam Sai Kit said the recent Sabah state elections provided a useful lesson on what is likely to happen if early elections are held.
“There has been speculation that the government could call early general elections based on the results of the Sabah polls. I think (this) will be a misstep.
“This is not the time to consider a nationwide election,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Dr Lam, who was instrumental in discovering the Nipah virus, said an early general election would only provide more opportunities for Covid-19 to spread far more than it did in Sabah.
He said campaigning during a general election would lead to larger and more frequent political gatherings, as well as a large movement of people across the country.
“People would also be urged to return to their respective states to vote and this would mean that there would be no travel ban,” he said, adding that this excluded the movement of the Electoral Commission (EC) and security personnel who help with the ballot boxes.
If early elections were held, Dr. Lam said it would add more stress to health and frontline services. “We may have to go back to the early days of the motion control order as there may be a shortage of medical supplies, including protective equipment, test kits, drugs and others,” he said.
Dr. Lam suggested using early or mail voting if early elections were to be held, especially for seniors, people with chronic health conditions, people with disabilities and people on the front lines.
The president of the Malaysian Medical Association, Datuk Dr. Subramaniam Muniandy, echoed similar views, saying that Sabah was a lesson in what could happen if elections were held at the national level.
“(Sabah state surveys) were allowed to continue and Covid-19 cases skyrocketed there with various groups detected. There are also cases in Peninsular Malaysia dating back to Sabah, ”said Dr. Subramaniam.
He said the government and the EC should consult with the Ministry of Health on the feasibility of holding early elections.
“The government should also collect public comment,” he added.
Dr. Subramaniam also noted that there should be no time frame as to when the polls should be called.
“The cases of Covid-19 have been increasing in the country. We should not set a timetable, but focus on flattening the curve again for now, “he said. If there is to be an early general election, he said there must be stricter preventive measures.” Politicians and political parties must also be held accountable and responsible for the fulfillment of preventive measures, ”he added.
University of Malaya virologist Dr. Sazaly Abu Bakar warned of significant health risks.
“Unless the virus is completely eliminated or an effective treatment and vaccine is available, any massive activity involving a high degree of person-to-person contact, as a general choice, poses a significant health risk,” He said.
Dr. Sazaly cited complacency due to the perception that the disease was already well controlled as a factor in the increase in Covid-19 infections, particularly in Sabah.
On September 18, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that general elections could be called ahead of time if Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) won the state elections.
On September 27, GRS, made up of Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), won a majority of 38 of 73 seats at the polls to form the new state government.
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