GABUNGAN Parti Sarawak (GPS) assemblyman Gerald Jabu has reached out to two key opposition leaders in the Sarawak assembly to back his proposal to amend the state constitution to extend the term of the state assembly, hence avoiding state elections during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Layar rep said since both Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Wong Soon Koh and Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chien Jen had publicly expressed concern about the dangers posed by the pandemic in going to the polls, “now is the time (to) make your stance”. 

“There is no difference between your life and mine. I want to live. 

“Do you?” he asked them when debating on the state budget this afternoon.

Gerald, son of former chief minister Alfred Jabu, was following up on his proposal to extend the current term of the assembly by up to a year to avoid having an election in the third wave of the pandemic. 

Wong on November 1 had said lessons must be learned from the spike in Covid-19 cases directly linked to the recent Sabah elections. 

Chong also cited the Sabah experience in a social media post, saying the state elections should not be held within the next six months. 

In his proposal to the assembly on Monday, Gerald suggested the state constitution be amended to extend the current assembly’s term up to six years from its first sitting – June 7, 2016 - or until Parliament is dissolved, whichever comes first.

He said the proposal was a one-off and the extension specifically and explicitly spelt out as being “due to the impact of Covid-19”. 

Gerald had said extending the term of the assembly was not without precedent, citing the amendment to the federal constitution in 1968 to extend the term of the then Council Negeri beyond its five-year term, so as to dissolve it together with Parliament in 1969. 

He told the assembly the subsequent amendment to the Sarawak constitution in 1968 saw a new clause – 3A to Article 21 – that came into force from September 28, extending the term of the Council Negeri beyond its five years.

The Layar rep said his proposal “would have all the options to safeguard the lives and livelihood of the people of Sarawak against the menace of Covid-19”. 

The proposal has been met with strong rejection by Parti Bumi Kenyalang president Voon Lee Shan. 

Voon said the move was an attempt to thwart democracy.

The former DAP lawmaker for Batu Lintang said if the term of the assembly was extended by amendment to the constitution, “this means the term of the Barisan Nasional/GPS government is also extended”. 

“This will set a very dangerous political path for Sarawak to travel because it could lead to tyranny and dictatorship. 

“It will be another form of ‘back-door’ government and once the term is allowed to be extended, there may be no stop to it as the GPS government, with powers in their hands, could keep on extending their term of office on flimsy grounds,” Voon said. 

He said if the GPS government was sincere to preserve democracy, then it could do so “by going all out to fight the Covid-19 pandemic so that the chain could be broken to pave way for elections before or within 60 days as required by law”. – November 11, 2020.