• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Sunday, January 17, 2021
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Democracy at Risk

Malaysia Declares Virus Emergency, Suspends Parliament

Staff Writer by Staff Writer
01/12/21
in Democracy at Risk, World
Pedestrians wait to cross a street in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on October 7, 2020.

Pedestrians wait to cross a street in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on October 7, 2020. Photo: AFP

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Malaysia’s king declared a nationwide state of emergency Tuesday to fight a coronavirus 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 the prime minister announced sweeping new curbs across much of the Southeast Asian 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 August 1 following a request from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the national palace said in a statement.

It is the first time Malaysia has declared a national state of emergency in over half a century and Muhyiddin, in a televised address, confirmed parliament would be suspended and elections would not take place for the time being.

But 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.

‘Hiding behind the virus’

The Pact of Hope opposition alliance, which includes veteran politician 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 your self.”

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, according to the palace.

Malaysia kept the virus in check for much of last year with a tough lockdown but, once curbs were eased, cases accelerated dramatically.

A record 3,309 cases were reported Tuesday, taking the total to over 141,000 with 559 deaths. 

The Kuala Lumpur stock market slid heavily after the state of emergency was announced but clawed back ground to end the day down 0.32 percent.

Muhyiddin first tried to persuade the king to declare an emergency in October but was rebuffed. The last time an emergency was declared nationally was in 1969, in response to deadly racial riots.

Malaysia has been in turmoil since March last year when Muhyiddin came to power without an election following then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad‘s resignation and the collapse of his reformist administration.

Mahathir, 95, led an opposition alliance to a historic victory at landmark polls in 2018 and toppled a corruption-riddled coalition that had governed the country for six decades. 

Malaysia’s Power Struggle: How Did We Get Here?
ShareTweet
Staff Writer

Staff Writer

AFP with The Globe Post

Related Posts

COVID-19 has already caused over 346,000 deaths in the US.
National

New Year Arrives With US Hitting 20 Million Covid Cases

by Staff Writer
January 1, 2021
A National Basketball Association logo.
National

NBA to Require Players to Wear Covid Tracking Devices

by Staff Writer
January 1, 2021
Volunteers are given the Moderna vaccine on August 5, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan.
Featured

Who’s First-in-Line for the Vaccine? A Classic Problem in Medical Ethics

by Edward C. Halperin
December 30, 2020
Zhang Zhan has been sentenced to four years in prison in a Shanghai court.
Media Freedom

Chinese Citizen Journalist Jailed for Four Years for Wuhan Virus Reporting

by Staff Writer
December 28, 2020
Hydroxychloroquine
World

Three Women Scientists Speak Out Against Cyberbullying

by Staff Writer
December 24, 2020
Coronavirus in France
World

France Rewards Frontline Covid Workers With Citizenship

by Staff Writer
December 22, 2020
Next Post
People march against climate change in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on October 13, 2018.

NGOs Accuse France of Climate Inaction in Landmark Court Case

Jake Angeli speaks to a US Capitol Police officer.

American Democracy Will Prevail

Recommended

The filing was submitted by Justice Department lawyers on Thursday, January 14.

US Rioters Sought to ‘Capture and Assassinate’ Lawmakers at Capitol: Prosecutors

January 15, 2021
Biden proposes raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Biden Unveils $1.9 Tn Economic Plan as US Recovery Buckles

January 14, 2021
Senegalese soldiers from the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, July 24, 2019.

UN Peacekeeper Killed in Mali, Seven Wounded: Spokesman

January 13, 2021
President Donald Trump in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House.

Threatening Democracy: The Choice Between Progress and Extremism Has Never Been So Clear

January 13, 2021
Jake Angeli speaks to a US Capitol Police officer.

American Democracy Will Prevail

January 13, 2021
People march against climate change in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on October 13, 2018.

NGOs Accuse France of Climate Inaction in Landmark Court Case

January 13, 2021

Opinion

President Donald Trump in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House.

Threatening Democracy: The Choice Between Progress and Extremism Has Never Been So Clear

January 13, 2021
Jake Angeli speaks to a US Capitol Police officer.

American Democracy Will Prevail

January 13, 2021
Pro-Trump protester in front of Capitol Hill.

Riots at Capitol Hill: Darkness Before the Dawn?

January 8, 2021
Volunteers are given the Moderna vaccine on August 5, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan.

Who’s First-in-Line for the Vaccine? A Classic Problem in Medical Ethics

December 30, 2020
A sorghum farmer inspects her small grains crop thriving in the dry conditions in March in the Mutoko rural area of Zimbabwe

The 10-Year Food Systems Revolution Must Start Now

December 22, 2020
Playing the Un-Naming Game in New York Is Harder Than It Seems

Pandenomics: The High Cost of Living While Undocumented in the United States

December 22, 2020
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post