Following the declaration of emergency by Yang Di-pertuan Agong this morning which is already in effect and will last until 1 August 2021, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has provided additional clarification regarding it. For starters, he insisted that this emergency order is not a military coup and does not involve curfews.
Throughout the emergency order period which is being implemented due to the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases as of late, PM Muhyiddin stated that the civilian government, both on federal and state level will continue to function. However, it is also important to note that the Parlimen and state legislative members will not be able to convene throughout the emergency period.
Likewise, no elections will be held during the state of emergency. In the speech, PM Muhyiddin has promised that the 15th Malaysian general election will be held once the special independent committee deemed that the situation is safe enough for the country to end the emergency.
Meanwhile, PM Muhyiddin has also pointed out that the King has the power to implement any necessary ordinances that are deemed necessary from time to time, in the interest of public safety and stability. One such example as mentioned in his speech is the emergency ordinance that would temporarily allow the government to take over private hospitals to utilise their resources to test and treat COVID-19 patients to elevate the massive stress on the national healthcare system.
(Source: Prime Minister Office. Image: nadi0 @ Flickr, used under Creative Commons license; Istana Negara.)
