[UPDATED] Govt declares emergency for Sarawak till Feb 2, state election deferred

KUALA LUMPUR – The government has declared a new state of emergency specifically for Sarawak, in an apparent move to postpone the state elections due in two months and help deal with the Covid-19 pandemic spreading swiftly across the state.

This comes ahead of the expiry of the national emergency, imposed since January, on August 1.

The emergency in Sarawak will last from August 2 to February 2 next year.

A new proclamation on this was consented to by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah last Thursday, and published in the government gazette yesterday.

The nationwide emergency declared to contain Covid-19 is set to end after midnight today, and Sarawak was initially set to hold its state election within 60 days after that.

The state assembly was supposed to be automatically dissolved on June 7, a day after its term expired, but the king advised the state government under Gabungan Parti Sarawak to continue administering the state as usual until the emergency ends.

This is not the first time an emergency has been declared locally to avert an election during the current health crisis.

On December 16 last year, a proclamation of emergency was declared for the Gerik parliamentary constituency in Perak and the Bugaya state constituency in Sabah, in effect cancelling the by-elections for both seats.

Prior to that, on November 18, the king had declared a proclamation of emergency for the Batu Sapi parliamentary constituency in Sabah, thus cancelling the by-election as a proactive measure to curb the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Sarawak yesterday saw 450 new Covid-19 cases. The state has now recorded more than 70,000 infections and 450 deaths due to the virus since the pandemic erupted early last year.

Meanwhile, state Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian noted that this means that the emergency situation will continue in Sarawak for the next six months.

“Covid-19 has been an unprecedented challenge for everyone in Sarawak, as well as for our system of governance.”

He expressed thanks to the Agong and the governor of Sarawak for consulting with the government and receiving advice from professionals over the last few weeks.

Dr Sim, who is adviser to the state Disaster Management Committee, said that the people will be given the opportunity to give their new mandate in the state polls once the emergency is over. 

“As soon as it is safe, we should go back to the people for the mandate.

“Let the people decide who is competent, who works and performs at this extraordinarily challenging time,” he said.

Cabinet decided to advise Agong, says PM

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin said in a statement that the cabinet had on July 21 reached a decision to advise the Agong to consent to the statewide emergency.

“Following this, KDYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong after having consulted with the Sarawak state government had consented to the emergency proclamation for the whole of Sarawak to be effective from August 2, 2021 to February 2, 2022,” he said.
 
He said the emergency is needed to suspend the impending state elections and curtail the spread of the Covid-19 virus, which has become increasingly serious.

“With this emergency proclamation, the Sarawak state election will not be held while the emergency is in force unless it is ended earlier,” he said. – The Vibes, July 31, 2021