SARAWAK Deputy Chief minister James Masing has suggested that longhouses, villages and settlements in rural areas bar strangers from entering to curb the spread of Covid-19 in time for the state election.

He also proposed that the movements of residents of these areas be curtailed.

“Nor can they go out,” he said while addressing his Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) members at their 16th anniversary dinner in Kuching last night,

Masing said the state may have to apply these stringent measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 when the election is held.

PRS is a member of the four-party Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition that governs Sarawak.

Masing said medical experts have told the state cabinet that coronavirus would still be a health threat for at least another year.

That advice, he added, had therefore created a problem for the state government whose mandate is nearing its end.

“By April next year, the state legislative assembly would have reached its five-year term.

“In short, Covid-19 will be around us till the end of 2021, but the laws of Sarawak stipulated that we must have our state election by April 2021.”

He said the most the state could do is to extend the life of our state assembly by another 60 days.

“But that extension is not long enough for us to escape the threat of Covid-19.

“What should we do?”

“Shall we delay the election till June 2021, or shall we call for an election now?” he asked alluding to the chorus from the opposition who said it would be irresponsible for the state government if it were to call the election now.

Masing said if the government were to delay election to June next year, the state could “be facing the wrath of an economic meltdown”.

“If we call for an election soon, we will be fighting the dangers posed by Covid-19,” he said.

A solution, Masing pointed out, could lie in how South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand conducted their election.

He said during the health pandemic this year, South Korea, Singapore and recently New Zealand held their general elections with no deadly consequences.

“South Korean, Singapore and New Zealand government’s SOPs (standard operating procedure) need to be studied very carefully if we are to push ahead with our state election this year.

“Whatever options the GPS government wishes to pursue, we should study the success story of Singapore and South Korea, and critically analyse the disasters of Sabah’s general election in September.”

Masing said he does not think the GPS government could avoid holding the state election soon. – October 22, 2020.