Strengthen and enforce pandemic election SOPs

Complex exercise: Even though comprehensive SOPs by the Election Commission are in place, the authorities might not be able to enforce them all due to the larger areas and many constituencies in a state or general election.

IT is important to take into account the Malaysian context, culture and election behaviour when formulating Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines if Malaysia is to face more elections in the near future.

Even though some overseas experts have said that the Covid-19 health risk of casting an in-person ballot with all the precautions is relatively low, but in our setting, the risk of transmission is “tremendous” as we do election and political campaigns differently here, says public health specialist Associate Professor Dr Wan Mohd Zahiruddin Wan Mohammad.