PARLIAMENT | The upcoming Sarawak election will not share the same standard operating procedures (SOPs) as the ones utilised in the recently concluded Malacca snap polls, said de facto Law Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
“Sarawak has different circumstances and will use different SOPs,” he said during his winding-up speech on Budget 2022 at the committee stage today.
Among the differences, Wan Junaidi (above) said, is that Sarawak is in Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) while Malacca is already at Phase 4.
Malacca borders are also relatively a lot more porous than Sarawak, which only borders Indonesia, Brunei and Sabah, he added.
Lastly, he noted that the Sarawak state election has been expected for some time, whereas the Malacca polls came as a surprise.
Wan Junaidi was responding to questions about whether the election SOPs used in Malacca would be reused for the upcoming Sarawak election, which is widely expected to be held before the end of the year.
The Malacca polls saw the government banning all election-related physical gatherings and social events to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Many MPs have criticised the ban as being unreasonable and restrictive, as it greatly hampered electoral campaigning.
Anti-hopping law
On a separate issue, Wan Junaidi reiterated that the government is committed to establishing an anti-hopping law.
He said it is still at the planning stage, as this is a complicated issue that involves a provision in the Constitution guaranteeing freedom of association.
Wan Junaidi, who expressed personal support for an anti-hopping law, said such matters cannot be rushed or decided upon based on emotion or instinct.
The minister was responding to RSN Rayer (Pakatan Harapan-Jelutong), who had urged the government to fast track an anti-hopping law in order to prevent snap polls from reoccurring so often. - Mkini
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