PSB sends petition to Agong against holding Sarawak election this year

MIRI – Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), led by Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, has sent a letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong petitioning to not allow state ruling coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to call for an election before the emergency expires.

It is learnt that the letter from Kuching has been delivered to the Agong.

“There is a petition to the Agong from our party but I have not seen the content. Basically, the petition is to stop GPS from holding the 12th state election this year as that will deny Undi18 from voting.

“The petition also highlights our worries about the current Covid-19 situation that is still serious and deadly in Sarawak,” said a PSB leader in northern Sarawak.

The petition came after GPS activated its election operation centres in the state.

The Election Commission is believed to have convened a full-scale briefing for polling station officers and district office workers – another tell-tale sign of impending polls.

The Vibes yesterday reported that Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) here held closed-door meetings until late Sunday night, with ground election officers told to get ready for action.

SUPP is a component party of GPS, along with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, Parti Rakyat Sarawak, and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).

Piasau SUPP secretary Karambir Singh told The Vibes that all the party’s election workers are on standby.

Sam Laya, PDP’s secretary for the Ba’kelalan state constituency, also confirmed with The Vibes that the party has activated its election operations room.

Sarawak has 82 state seats, with 68 controlled by GPS.

The state assembly’s term expired on June 6, and it was supposed to be automatically dissolved the following day.

However, the state is under a localised health emergency until next February due to the Covid-19 threat.

There have been rumours that Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg will petition the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to lift the emergency to allow for the vote to be held before the end of next month. – The Vibes, October 19, 2021