SARAWAK Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah has hinted that an announcement on the dissolution of the state assembly could be made “in a day or two”.

“Maybe in a day or two, we may hear news on the dissolution and election,” Karim, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president, told reporters at a function in his constituency today.

PBB is the lead party in the state’s four-party ruling coalition, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).

He appeared to be alluding to the possibility that an announcement could be made when the Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob is in Kuching on Saturday for his first visit to the state as prime minister.

“It’s close,” he said.

Earlier today, Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg dismissed news reports that the state’s legislative assembly will be dissolved today.

He said he was surprised when reading about it online and in the newspapers.

Speaking to reporters after launching the Sri Aman Development Authority in the rural town of Simanggang, about 132km from Kuching, this morning, the chief minister said he does not when the election would be held because the decision on it lies with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Karim said he is all for the election to be held as soon as possible.

“I have said many times I don’t want to be in extra time,” he said in reference to the elections having to be deferred due to the state of emergency being declared to tackle the Covid-19 epidemic.

“We must go back to the rakyat and for the rakyat to decide who they want to give the new mandate to.”

The tenure of the state assembly ended on June 6 and under the state constitution, elections must be held within 60 days.

However, the state of emergency declared in the country in January to tackle the epidemic put the elections on hold and the assembly in suspension.

The elections were once again put on hold after the emergency was lifted on August 1, as a localised emergency for Sarawak was declared until February next year.

Karim said the epidemic could no longer be used as an excuse not to hold the elections as demanded by most of the opposition parties.

“We have managed to successfully control the pandemic.”

He said even though Sarawak reported “a lot of new cases” daily, 98-99% of the cases are not in the category of severe illness.

He said the threat of the Covid-19 is now more or less similar to that of the common cold.

“The number of deaths (from Covid-19) daily is not many. More people die from accidents daily than from Covid.

“We have to give the mandate back to the rakyat.” – October 21, 2021.