Covid-19 enabled the government to declare a state of emergency -- and therefore a postponement -- of the Batu Sapi by-election in Sandakan. But critics question: was it a politically expedient tool that allowed Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Perikatan Nasional to re-strategise their battle plan, or truly an act of compassion designed to halt the pandemic's spread? Dr Hamidin Abdul Hamid, Research Fellow at Ilham Centre, discusses.

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