Media Statement by YB Kelvin Yii:
Since the beginning i have expressed my opinion that now is not the time for Sarawak State Elections on 3 main reasons;
(1) We are still in midst of pandemic and we should be concentration on rollout of booster dose. We had the advantage of observing and even doing a proper assessment of the potential Covid-19 damage from the Melaka polls before deciding to have ours, but instead, political considerations have trumped health concerns.
The impact of Covid-19 in Melaka will only be seen in the next 2 weeks.
(2) Undi18 has not been implemented. We can wait another 3 months and give this important demographic a voice in the elections.
(3) Important electoral reforms that i have been pushing for including absentee voting or postal voting for Sarawakians in Semenanjung Malaysia have yet to be implemented.
It is important to encourage as much people to participate in the election to give more legitimacy to the election itself. Any attempts against this can be considered as “voter suppression”.
But since the decision was made, i call upon EC ro ensure;
(1) Clear and specific SOPs that are based on science to ensure all political parties can spread their message fairly and clearly. There must be fair enforcement to ensure no double standards and SOPs designed to favour any party.
(2) Ensure equal and fair airtime and coverage for all political parties in national media; newspaper, TV, radio..etc
(3) Government must find ways to control prices of air tickets back to Sarawak 3 days before and 3days after the election date to ensure maximum voter turn out and remove obstacles for eligible Sarawakians to come back to vote.
Now a quick search shows it cost up to RM1k 1 way just to fly to Kuching.It is MADNESS AND GOVERNMENT MUST DO SOMETHING to allow our fellow Sarawakians to vote.
Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen
MP Bandar Kuching
