According to Malaysia’s Singzhou Daily, Malaysia’s National Palace issued a statement on the 12th local time that Malaysia’s Supreme Head of State Abdullah has agreed to declare a state of emergency from now on to cope with the growing coronavirus pandemic.
The state of emergency will be imposed until August 1, or until the pandemic is effectively controlled early. Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao quoted Malaysian officials as saying that the Malaysian National Parliament and state parliaments will also stop convening until the state of emergency is lifted.
According to this statement, Abdullah made the above decision after listening to the advice of Malaysian Prime Minister Muhidin.
Abdullah also decided to establish an independent committee that included cabinet members, opposition parties and professionals to assess the development of the pandemic.
According to the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, when disorder occurs in the fields of national security, economy, public order, etc. and cannot be controlled by the normal management system, the government has the right to promulgate a state of emergency with the approval of the Head of State.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Muhidin said on the 12th that in a state of emergency, the government can fully mobilize resources and increase penalties for violations to more effectively curb the pandemic, but declaring a state of emergency is not a military coup to help the current government stay in power.
Muhidin also promised that during the state of emergency, he would not interfere in the administration of justice and would not impose a curfew.
The number of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Malaysia has remained high recently, and medical resources are tight. As of the 12th, Malaysia has confirmed a total of 141,533 cases of COVID-19 and 559 deaths.
Since the 5th, Malaysia has added more than 2,000 new confirmed cases in a single day for seven consecutive days.
Malaysia’s Sing Chau Daily reported that Malaysia’s health care system is “almost overloaded”. It is understood that this is the first time that Malaysia has declared a national state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic. In October 2020, Muhidin had suggested that Abdullah declare a state of emergency, but it was eventually rejected.
With the exception of Malaysia, many countries in Southeast Asia have issued similar emergency decrees due to the pandemic, such as Thailand, the Philippines, etc.
