SARAWAK parliamentarian Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has suggested the state government undertake a study on whether state elections can be safely held during the monsoon season.

The monsoon season in Sarawak is usually between November and February. The state elections are due by September next year, but there is talk that it will be held after the tabling of the state budget next month.

Wan Junaidi, who is Santubong MP and federal entrepreneur, development and cooperatives minister, said the state government should side with caution and assess whether past elections were held during the rainy season.

“If they were held during the rainy season, what were the problems we faced and are likely to face again if we hold it this time,” he told reporters in Kuching today after chairing a liaison and coordination committee meeting for the four parties in the state government coalition, Gabung Parti Sarawak (GPS).

The four parties in GPS are Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, Parti Rakyat Sarawak, the Sarawak United People’s Party and Progressive Development Party.

Opposition parties, and some civil societies, have urged Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg not to call for an early election, citing the Covid-19 pandemic and health concerns. 

Instead, they said the state election should be called nearer to the date when the mandate of the state government expires in June next year.

Sarawak has not called for polls between October and March in six state elections since 1987. – October 16, 2020.