Don't hold elections now, urges top health official

The minister said that the country should learn from the Sabah election, which became the starting point of the current pandemic wave in the state and the rest of the country. PHOTO: AFP

KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia's top health official has advised that elections in the country be put off as the Covid-19 situation is still at a severe stage.

Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said Malaysia should learn from its experience with the Sabah election, which became the starting point of the current coronavirus wave in the state and the rest of the country.

"Even though there are SOPs (standard operating procedures), more important is whether the people comply with the SOP.

"We have learnt from Sabah. We hope not to repeat the consequences of having an election in other states," said Dr Noor Hisham at the ministry's Covid-19 press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

The Sarawak state election must be held before August next year. There is plenty of speculation that the state government might decide to call for polls soon.

The Batu Sapi by-election in Sabah, which was triggered by the death of incumbent MP Liew Vui Keong, is scheduled to be held on Dec 5. Nomination Day has been set for Nov 23.

Dr Noor Hisham said that while the Health Ministry can recommend whether to hold elections, it is up to the government and the Election Commission to decide.

"Our recommendation is not to have an election. But if it needs to be held, perhaps we need to look at different means to organise it.

"Perhaps we can impose that there will be no crossing of district borders, no organising of large gatherings and no house-to-house visits. We may also consider using postal votes," he said.

Yesterday, Malaysia reported 801 new coronavirus cases, bringing the nation's tally to 29,441 infections. It also recorded eight new fatalities, taking the death toll to 246.

Meanwhile, Parti Islam SeMalaysia president Abdul Hadi Awang said the decision on whether to enforce a state of emergency to curb Covid-19 should be made by health and safety experts, instead of politicians and constitutional experts.

"The ongoing problem must be referred to the real experts. Otherwise, the decision made would not be in tandem with reality," said Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi, whose party is part of the ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had proposed imposing emergency measures to curb the spread of the virus, but this was rejected by the King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, on Sunday.

Critics said that Tan Sri Muhyiddin was using the pandemic as an excuse to stay in power.

Mr Abdul Hadi said many front-line workers, including health officers, the police and members of the armed forces, have become victims of Covid-19 while carrying out their duties.

He added that attention should be placed on the true capacity of the police and the armed forces in enforcing movement restrictions and border control measures.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 29, 2020, with the headline Don't hold elections now, urges top health official. Subscribe