12TH STATE ELECTION
KUCHING: The sharp rise of Covid-19 cases in Sabah should serve as an alarm bell against holding the state election, warned Universiti Malaya epidemiologist Professor Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud.
He said the situation in Sabah had provided lesson on the laxity in adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) during the polling and campaigning period.
“One of the lessons coming out of the Sabah state elections is that laxity in adherence to SOPs and an increased population movement provided a fertile environment for the Covid-19 virus to spread.
“I think the elections should not be held at the moment until we can resolve a few things.
“It would be ideal if we can get a vaccine first so that at least some proportion of the population, perhaps the frontliners and the most susceptible are protected,” he told New Sarawak Tribune today.
Awang Bulgiba said the laxity in adherence to SOP among the public could be due to fatigue and suggested behavioural scientists to involve in strengthening health education to the public
“To tackle this problem, health education needs to be innovative and continuous yet this is not given enough attention.
“SOP fatigue is something that we need to avoid. I suggest getting behavioural scientists involved in this as they understand what makes successful behavioural change and why some people get fatigued.
“Messages need to be packaged properly, not talk down to people. Key opinion leaders need to be engaged. They need to be targeted for different groups.
“These messages need to be consistent, easy to understand and make people feel that they are part of this pandemic war,” he elaborated.
As for campaigns, the professor strongly advised politicians to move away from conventional campaigns like ceramah, house-to-house canvassing but engage in the digital campaign as much as possible.
“This obviously is very difficult in remote areas of Sarawak.
“But if state elections were to take place as close as possible to the mandatory elections date, this will allow us some time to install as much of the needed digital infrastructure as possible,” he added.
