THE King will decide Sarawak’s state polls date with the Governor as the legislature will not be dissolved by June 6 due to the Emergency, said a state ruling party leader today.

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) secretary-general Alexander Linggi told this to reporters after a Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) presidential council meeting today.

Linggi said in normal circumstances, the tenure of the state assembly will end on June 6 – five years from the day of its first meeting on June 7 – after the state election in that year.

“It would have been dissolved for the return (to) the rakyat…to democratically elect their government in an election.

“But we are under a health pandemic Covid-19 emergency until August 1.”

Linggi said the provision of the state constitution that will automatically dissolve the state assembly if an election is not called by June 6 has no effect by virtue of the Emergency Ordinance 2021.

He said Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg has had an audience with Governor Taib Mahmud to inform him of the situation.

He, however, did not say when the meeting took place.

Linggi said the dissolution of the state assembly will therefore be on a date the Agong, after consultation with the Governor, thinks appropriate.

He said Abang Johari will have an audience with the King to brief him on the matter.

Echoing what Abang Johari said in his recent Raya message that the election is not a priority at the moment, Linggi said it was also “not in the mind of the government at the moment”.

“During this pandemic, people’s life is paramount.”

All four party presidents in the state’s ruling coalition attended the meeting chaired by Abang Johari at the PBB headquarters in Jalan Bako, Kuching.

Apart from PBB, the other three parties in the coalition are Parti Rakyat Sarawak headed by James Masing, Sarawak United People’s Party headed by Dr Sim Kui Hian and Progressive Democratic Party whose president is Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing. – May 15, 2021.