Malaysia’s king yesterday declared a nationwide state of emergency to fight a COVID-19 surge and parliament was suspended, with critics charging it was a bid by the unstable government to cling to power.
The surprise move came a day after Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced sweeping new curbs across much of the nation, including the closure of most businesses, and warned the health system was “at breaking point.”
Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah agreed to declare an emergency until Aug. 1 following a request from Muhyiddin, the national palace said in a statement.
Photo: Bloomberg
It is the first time Malaysia has declared a national state of emergency in more than half a century and Muhyiddin, in a televised address, confirmed parliament would be suspended and elections would not take place for the time being.
However, the leader, whose 10-month-old administration is showing signs of falling apart, insisted that “the civilian government will continue to function.”
“The emergency declaration ... is not a military coup and a curfew will not be enforced,” he said.
He insisted he was committed to holding a general election once the country’s outbreak is brought under control.
The announcement came after Muhyiddin’s key coalition allies started withdrawing support, which could have led to the collapse of the government and snap national polls that some feared could worsen the outbreak.
A local election last year has been blamed for triggering a new wave of infections that spread nationwide.
Muhyiddin has narrowly survived a series of challenges in parliament since taking office, but is now thought to have lost his majority.
The Pact of Hope opposition alliance, which includes former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, said the move was unacceptable as the partial lockdown announced earlier in the week was enough to tackle the virus.
“The emergency powers give the prime minister absolute power to do anything he wishes,” the pact’s leaders said in a statement. “Do not hide behind the coronavirus and burden the people by declaring an emergency in a bid to save yourself.”
As well as suspending political life, the declaration gives the government powers to take over private hospitals as government facilities become overwhelmed, and get extra help from the military and police, Muhyiddin said.
The emergency could be lifted earlier if the rate of infection slows, the palace said.
A record 3,309 cases were reported yesterday, taking the total to more than 141,000 with 559 deaths.
Muhyiddin first tried to persuade the king to declare an emergency in October last year, but was rebuffed.
The last time an emergency was declared nationally was in 1969, in response to deadly racial riots.
PLA MANEUVERS: Although Beijing has yet to formally announce military drills, its coast guard vessels have been spotted near and around Taiwan since Friday The Taiwanese military is on high alert and is closely monitoring the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) air and naval deployments after Beijing yesterday reserved seven airspace areas east of its Zhejiang and Fujian provinces through Wednesday. Beijing’s action was perceived as a precursor to a potential third “Joint Sword” military exercise, which national security experts said the PLA could launch following President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visits to the nation’s three Pacific allies and stopovers in Hawaii and Guam last week. Unlike the Joint Sword military exercises in May and October, when Beijing provided detailed information about the affected areas, it
CHINA: The activities come amid speculation that Beijing might launch military exercises in response to Lai’s recent visit to Pacific allies The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said China had nearly doubled the number of its warships operating around the nation in the previous 24 hours, ahead of what security sources expect would be a new round of war games. China’s military activities come amid speculation Beijing might organize military drills around the nation in response to President William Lai’s (賴清德) recent visit to Pacific allies, including stops in Hawaii and Guam, a US territory. Lai returned from the week-long trip on Friday night. Beijing has held two rounds of war games around Taiwan this year, and sends ships and military planes
Five flights have been arranged to help nearly 2,000 Taiwanese tourists return home from Okinawa after being stranded due to cruise ship maintenance issues, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced yesterday. China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) have arranged five flights with a total of 748 additional seats to transport 1,857 passengers from the MSC Bellissima back to Taiwan, the ministry said. The flights have been scheduled for yesterday and today by the Civil Aviation Administration, with the cruise operator covering all associated costs. The MSC Bellissima, carrying 4,341 passengers, departed from Keelung on Wednesday last week for Okinawa,
US president-elect Donald Trump said he would “never say” if Washington is committed to defending Taiwan from China, but “I would prefer that they do not do it [ an attack],” adding that he has a “good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). “I never say because I have to negotiate things, right?” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker after saying he would not reveal his incoming administration’s stance on Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. Asked the question again, Trump, in a reference to China, said: “I would prefer that they
RSS