SARAWAK ministers were coy on Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s statement yesterday, which seemed to hint that the state elections would be in August. 

The national Covid-19 immunisation programme coordinating minister had in his post Covid-19 immunisation task force meeting yesterday said Putrajaya has assured Sarawak that their Covid-19 vaccination exercise will be completed “before the state polls in August”. 

“August 2021 (for the) 12th state elections? Please ask the chief minister. 

“He calls the shots,” was Deputy Chief Minister and Parti Rakyat Sarawak president James Masing’s terse reply to The Malaysian Insight’s question if Khairy had inadvertently disclosed the timing of the elections.

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu vice president Abdul Karim Hamzah’s equally terse reply was that Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg never said the elections would be in August.

“Only the Election Commission will know. I only know that (the term of the) state assembly will end on June 6, 2021,” Karim, who is also the state’s tourism minister, said. 

Political analyst James Chin however, has no doubt the state elections will be in August. 

August is widely touted as the possible month as the state of emergency ends on August 1 and it is at the end of the 60-day period for state elections to be held. 

Sarawak, at the same time, has also been pressing for the vaccination of the state’s two million citizens and another 200,000 foreign residents, to be completed by the end of that month. 

Chin said the information he has been getting now is that the some key political leaders “really want the state elections before the general election”. 

“They don’t want a combined election.” 

Former Sarawak PKR deputy chairman Baharuddin Mokshen concurred with Chin’s assessment that the state elections will be in August and it will not be together with the general election. 

“Likely to go on their own because of mixed signals for Parliament. Some want August and equally vocal, some want to complete full term,” he said. 

Baharuddin’s successor, Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh also has no doubts state polls will be in August. 

“That is if the state of emergency is not extended,” he said. 

Abang Zulkifli however, does not believe the state’s vaccination programme or if it could be completed by the targeted date at the end of August, will play a crucial role in Abang Johari’s decision to call for elections. 

“If it is, then I do not think the elections will be in August. Simple reason is that at the rate we are going, we will never complete the vaccination in August. 

“The polls will be dependent on when the state of emergency is lifted.” – April 29, 2021.