Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday faced calls to resign from both sides of the political aisle after the king rebuffed his proposal to call a COVID-19 state of emergency that critics saw as an undemocratic attempt to hold onto power.
Yassin’s proposal for the king to declare a state of emergency would have suspended parliament and let him dodge an imminent test of his support.
King Sultan Abdullah “is of the opinion that there is currently no need for His Majesty to declare a state of emergency in this country or any part of Malaysia,” the palace said on Sunday.
Photo: Reuters
Malaysia’s number of COVID-19 cases has doubled to 26,565 in just three weeks following a new outbreak, mainly in Sabah state on Borneo island.
Politicians from both sides of the divide, as well as legal and medical experts, have said an emergency declaration is unnecessary, and that there are sufficient laws to curb public movement and impose penalties to curb the outbreak.
Some have warned that declaring an emergency could ruin the economy and plunge Malaysia into a dictatorship. Emergency laws were last invoked nationally in 1969 during deadly racial riots.
The king in a statement said that the government has handled the pandemic well and he believed Muhyiddin was capable of coping with the crisis, though he also called for a halt to “all politicking” that could disrupt the government’s stability.
Muhyiddin hours later said that the Cabinet had noted the king’s decision and would further discuss the decree. Local media said that the Cabinet was expected to meet later yesterday.
“The priority of the Cabinet and the government at this time is to protect citizens from the COVID-19 disease,” Muhyiddin said in a statement.
He also welcomed the king’s advice to ensure political stability.
Muhyiddin took power in March, but holds only a two-seat majority in parliament. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says that he has majority support, but needs the king’s approval to form a new government, and the biggest party in the ruling coalition is angry about being sidelined in Muhyiddin’s government.
A key test comes early next month when the government is due to seek approval for next year’s budget in parliament.
If Muhyiddin is unable to pass the bill, pressure would build for him to resign or call new elections.
A state of emergency could allow him to approve the budget without a vote and consolidate his support, and he could govern through ordinances that could not be challenged in court.
“In whatever way you look at it, indications are that the PM has realized that he has effectively lost his majority,” said Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, political science professor at Malaysia’s University of Science.
Despite the king’s rejection of the call for a state of emergency, his endorsement of Muhyiddin’s government could offer a reprieve and help the prime minister get the budget bill passed.
The Philippine Department of Justice yesterday labeled Vice President Sara Duterte the “mastermind” of a plot to assassinate the nation’s president, giving her five days to respond to a subpoena. Duterte is being asked to explain herself in the wake of a blistering weekend press conference where she said she had instructed that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr be killed should an alleged plot to kill her succeed. “The government is taking action to protect our duly elected president,” Philippine Undersecretary of Justice Jesse Andres said at yesterday’s press briefing. “The premeditated plot to assassinate the president as declared by the self-confessed mastermind
Texas’ education board on Friday voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led US states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they would receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classrooms as early as next school year. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than
Ireland, the UK and France faced travel chaos on Saturday and one person died as a winter storm battered northwest Europe with strong winds, heavy rain, snow and ice. Hampshire Police in southern England said a man died after a tree fell onto a car on a major road near Winchester early in the day. Police in West Yorkshire said they were probing whether a second death from a traffic incident was linked to the storm. It is understood the road was not icy at the time of the incident. Storm Bert left at least 60,000 properties in Ireland without power, and closed
CONSPIRACIES: Kano suspended polio immunization in 2003 and 2004 following claims that polio vaccine was laced with substances that could render girls infertile Zuwaira Muhammad sat beside her emaciated 10-month-old twins on a clinic bed in northern Nigeria, caring for them as they battled malnutrition and malaria. She would have her babies vaccinated if they regain their strength, but for many in Kano — a hotbed of anti-vaccine sentiment — the choice is not an obvious one. The infants have been admitted to the 75-bed clinic in the Unguwa Uku neighbourhood, one of only two in the city of 4.5 million run by French aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Kano has the highest malaria burden in Nigeria, but the city has long
RSS