MIRI – All political parties in Sarawak must immediately stop campaigning for the state election given that the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19 has struck central regions, said a native rights group.
Michael Jok, secretary-general of the Society for Rights of Indigenous People of Sarawak, told The Vibes that campaigning has picked up pace of late.
“It is clearly seen that campaigning on the ground for the coming state election has increased in momentum.
“There are certain YBs (elected representatives) going all over to rural longhouses to distribute financial grants and launch community projects.
“These are drawing crowds and causing the intra-district and cross-district movement of people.”
This may be the reason Covid-19 continues to spread to remote locations, he said, adding that Delta has hit Song district in central Sarawak.
“If this variant hits the longhouses during political gatherings, the consequences could be deadly,” said the Belaga native.
“All campaigns on the ground must stop now. We hope political parties from both sides of the divide will think of the people’s safety.”
Yesterday, it was reported that Delta has been detected in Song, about 150km from Sibu town.
Song is one of the three districts in Kapit division in central Sarawak, with the other two being Belaga and Kapit.
Sarawak is the state with the highest number of coronavirus infections involving Delta, with about 700 detected in Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri.
There are also several dozen cases of the Beta, Thetha, Alpha and Eta variants found in the state.
Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing last week said 14 cases of a possibly new and more dangerous strain were detected in a housing estate in the constituency’s town area. – The Vibes, September 2, 2021
