KUCHING, Nov 24: Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party president Lina Soo will be contesting in Padungan.
In a statement today, she said she had bought the nomination form at the Election Commission Office and announced that she will be contesting in Padungan.
Following the Election Commission’s (EC) announcement today on nomination and polling dates, Soo said the decision of the EC will lead to a “walkover” and “hollow victory” for ruling coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
The EC’s decision, she said, was a “letdown” due to several reasons.
First of all, Undi18 was still ineffective and to hold the 12th Sarawak Election in December showed that GPS did not respect the voice of the youth, she opined.
To her, it was also a let down because the Covid-19 situation in Sarawak had not stabilised yet.
As such, many Sarawakians will not be able to return home to vote as Covid-19 restrictions have forbidden them to do so.
Soo also believed that as the month of December is the wet season, it was not conducive to conduct an election.
Lastly, she said candidates would be handicapped by Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) which would prevent them from campaigning and participating in a democratic, free and clean election.
“So it will be a walkover and hollow victory for parties who have access to government facilities and mainstream media at their disposal,” said Soo.
In the 2016 Sarawak Election, Soo stood under State Reform Party (former name for Aspirasi) in Batu Lintang facing Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) candidate Sih Hua Tong and then Party Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate See Chee How, who has now joined Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB).
Soo managed to garner only 331 votes against See’s 10,758 votes and Sih’s 6,373 votes. — DayakDaily
