SHAH ALAM, 29 June: The Sarawak State Election is expected to be held late before the term of the 13th Parliament ends to enable it to be held concurrently with the 14th General Election.
The Pokok Sena MP, Datuk Mahfuz Omar, said that the move is being taken to prevent Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders from focusing on campaigns in Sarawak if held separately.
“I believe that the postponement of the Umno election is a sign that the GE14 will be held simultaneously with the Sarawak State Election to prevent Pakatan leaders from focusing on the state. If it is at the same time, we must focus on our respective areas.
“If Umno wants to face the elections but at the same time have nominations, there would certainly be internal unrest that would undermine the party’s internal situation. They are trying to reduce that risk.
“I think that the reasoning for this simultaneous election is very strong and the Sarawak State Election will be held wither in late December 2016 or early 2017,” he said when contacted by Selangor Kini today.
Mahfuz said that the Sarawak State Election will be done at the end of the term while the GE14 will be earlier.
He said that the strategy actually has a less positive impact on Umno when voters are increasing discerning in BN’s ability under the administration of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in governing the country.
“BN still has high hopes for Sarawak to be a “fixed deposit” state, but the situation is becoming difficult because the PM has a record of administration that their own machinery says is difficult to be maintained,” he said.
NS
