MIRI – Sceptics have poured scorn on Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas’ denial that the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak government manipulated statistics on Covid-19 infections and deaths to justify calling the 12th state election.
Netizens today sent messages to the website of Sarawak Public Communications Unit, the state’s official mouthpiece, to counter Uggah.
Yesterday, Uggah, who is also the state Disaster Management Committee chairman, had publicly denied that the state has been concealing the real data of daily Covid-19 infections and deaths.
“There are claims circulating on social media that we have purposely marked down daily infections and deaths figures. There are certain quarters accusing us of manipulating these figures,” he said.
They claimed in their social media postings that we are doing this to justify holding the state election. Their allegations are not true.”
He said that the actual Covid-19 situation in Sarawak has improved due to vaccination efforts, and that Sarawak is the first state to complete vaccinations and implement booster shots.
He said this to longhouse folks in Long Bemang in Baram after launching an agriculture project there yesterday.
Today, netizens said in their messages that it is strange that the infections and deaths figure could drop so drastically all of a sudden after election dates were announced.
“Now that the state election is on, suddenly only a few cases... of course lahhh... haha (sic),” said a message posted by Low Ahin.
Another netizen, Terrence Tan, sarcastically said: “Covid is waiting and smiling… will only come to visit Sarawak after the state election.”
Another posting by Hisyamuddin Shabini said: “Covid knows this is state election... it will run away by itself.”
Two weeks ago, Sarawak registered more than a thousand new infections and an average of about 20 deaths from the virus daily.
Now, over the past week, the infection cases have dropped to below 200 daily while deaths per day are in single digits.
Nomination of candidations for the 12 Sarawak election is on December 6, while polling day is December 18. – The Vibes, November 28, 2021
