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PUTRAJAYA: Elections in the country should be postponed for the time being, as the Covid-19 situation is still in a serious stage, says Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah.
The director general of Health said that the country should learn from what happened during the Sabah elections, which became the starting point of the current pandemic wave in the state and the rest of the country.
“Although there are SOPs (standard operating procedures) available, the most important thing is whether people adhere to the SOPs.
“We have learned from Sabah, we hope we will not have to repeat the consequences of having elections in other states,” Dr. Noor Hisham said at the ministry’s Covid-19 press conference here on Tuesday (October 27).
Sarawak state elections must be held before August 2021.
There is much speculation that the state government may decide to call an election soon.
Batu Sapi’s by-election, which was triggered by the death of incumbent Datuk Seri Liew Vui Keong, is scheduled for December 5. The nomination was set for November 23.
Dr. Noor Hisham said that while the ministry can make recommendations, it is still up to the government and the Electoral Commission (EC) to decide whether to hold elections.
“Our recommendation is not to have elections. But if it needs to be held, we may have to find different means of organizing an election.
“Perhaps we can enforce that district borders will not be crossed, large gatherings will not be organized, and there will be no house-to-house visits.
“We can also consider using mail ballots.
“These are the things that we must discuss with the EC to improve the situation,” said Dr. Noor Hisham.
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