MIRI – The one-month countdown begins for the automatic dissolution of the current Sarawak assembly, paving the way for the 12th state elections.
Leaders of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition are anxiously preparing for D-day when the ballot boxes go out.
A GPS leader in northern Sarawak told the Vibes that the coalition is facing three major posers now.
“We are heading towards automatic dissolution as there is no more window of opportunity to call for the 12th state elections before June 7.
“We in Sarawak are also seriously affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with more deaths and hundreds of new infections daily.
“On top of this, we are also in a state of emergency until August 1. Our constitutional experts are now looking at all the issues at hand.
“Under such circumstances, GPS should continue to be in charge of the state administration even after automatic dissolution and until when we can hold state elections,” said the GPS leader.
Senior lawyer Datuk Lawrence Lai, who is the former mayor of Miri, said when asked if the current state administration can continue even after automatic dissolution:
“Legally speaking, after automatic dissolution, a state election must be held and concluded within 60 days and a new state government elected to govern.
“Now, with this ongoing Covid-19 pandemic that keeps getting worse in Sarawak, plus the national emergency in place, a state election may not look possible anytime soon.
“What will happen in Sarawak on June 7 and the weeks ahead will be very interesting,” he said.
The 12th Sarawak state elections were slated to be held in late March or early April but were sidetracked due to the worsening pandemic in the state.
GPS components Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, Sarawak United Peoples’ Party, Parti Rakyat Sarawak, and Progressive Democratic Party have been asked to stand by as GPS works out with Perikatan Nasional how to have the state polls alongside the 15th general elections.
Having the state polls simultaneously with GE15 may help GPS and PN federal counter the onslaught of the opposition.
Both parties rely on each other to win at their respective states.
GPS is keen to have opposition Pakatan Harapan occupied with the national polls so that they will not come en masse into Sarawak.
Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia with 82 state constituencies, 68 seats of which GPS controls.
Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg had recently said in Miri that he wanted the 12th state polls to be held in 2020 but they were postponed due to the Covid-19 threat.
Sarawak has seen 190 deaths and some 33,000 Covid-19 cases to date. – The Vibes, May 6, 2021
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