BAU: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah on Saturday wondered if voters in Sarawak would actually favour peninsula-based parties which were rejected by the people there.
He believes the people will be able to evaluate for themselves if they should vote for the opposition in the coming 12th state election.
Awang Tengah pointed to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) losing in all the 11 seats it contested in the just concluded Melaka state election.
“If in Semenanjung Malaysia, 100 percent of the people rejected PKR and the Democratic Action Party (DAP) only managed to win some seats (during the Melaka polls), it cannot be that the people in Sarawak would want to give support to the parties that do not have support from their people in Semenanjung Malaysia,” he told reporters after a walkabout to Tasik Biru here on Saturday (Nov 27).
Awang Tengah, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president said thus there was no other choice than Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), a party that can determine the future of the state.
On whether Sarawak would see a low turnout of voters on polling day due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he hoped the people would come out to vote as it is their right.
“The power to decide (the new government) lies in their hands.”
Although there will be strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) the people have to follow, he said they should at the same time carry out their rights.
To a question on Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim saying that the sharp spike in flight ticket prices could prevent Sarawakians in Semenanjung Malaysia to return to cast their vote on Dec 18, Awang Tengah said he did not want to comment much on the matter.
“By right, if we have increased capacity in terms of the number of passengers, the price of these tickets should be reduced.
“Before this, we understand that they limited the capacity by 50 percent but now that it has been increased, I think it is appropriate for them to consider reducing the ticket price,” said Awang Tengah.
