He said the SOPs were “improper and unfair” and questioned the decision to allow ceramahs to be held in 64 areas with poor internet coverage.
While the rules were released by the Election Commission (EC), the Kota Sentosa incumbent said the SOPs were drafted by the Sarawak disaster management committee (SDMC).
Chong, who is also the Sarawak Pakatan Harapan chief, said it seemed like the lives of people living in rural areas were not as important, warning that they would be subject to greater exposure and spread of the pandemic.
He also questioned why these ceramahs were only allowed to be held indoors when health experts have repeatedly stated that such gatherings and events should be held outdoors for better ventilation, to curb the spread of the virus.
“The SOP (pertaining to the ceramahs) was not formulated with the purpose of controlling the pandemic, but with the purpose of manipulating the elections to the advantage of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
“And, in the course of doing that and implementing the SOP, the GPS government, through the SDMC, is prioritising its political interests over the lives and health of Sarawakians.
“My question to Dr Sim Kui Hian, the SDMC adviser, is: What have you advised the SDMC for it to come up with such an SOP that doesn’t help in containing the pandemic?”
Chong, who is contesting for the Padungan seat, also said the fact that 64 of 82 state constituencies in Sarawak had poor internet coverage was testament to GPS’ poor performance at governing the state over the past 50 years.
Formed only in 2018, GPS comprises Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), all of whom were a part of Barisan Nasional and governed the state before GE14.
Chong also lamented how Sarawakian children living in these 64 constituencies would have struggled with lessons when the schools were closed for the most part of the past two years.
Taking aim at Sim, the former state housing and local government minister, he pointed out that Batu Kawah contestant Dr Kelvin Yii had to fly out to Kuala Lumpur to attend an urgent meeting with health minister Khairy Jamaluddin over the Omicron variant.
While praising Yii for putting his election campaign aside for one day for a meeting “of national importance”, he questioned why it was not the same for Sim.
“Is he putting his election campaign above the interest of the nation to fight Omicron? That’s my question to him.
“I urge Sarawakians to look at the big picture. We cannot afford to have a government that prioritises political interests over the people’s interests.”
Chong also said DAP would be writing to the EC over a handful of cases of voters’ addresses being changed despite having voted in Kuching for several state elections now.
He claimed that there was one case of a man whose address was changed to Sarikei having voted here for two elections, as well as a woman who found out that her voting location was moved back to Sibuti.
“I call on all voters out there to check their voter information on the EC website, and for that, we’ll also be setting up booths to check their registration details to help them identify their voting location,” he said.