Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin must uphold the royal decree rejecting his request to declare a national state of emergency to battle the 3rd wave of COVID-19, which registered a record number of infections. Instead of loyally upholding the royal decree as required of his capacity as Prime Minister, Muhyiddin has tried to justify the need for an emergency and appears to have not given up on making a similar request in future.
Muhyddin’s emergency rationale is to prevent the upcoming Batu Sapi by-election in Sabah, and a possible Sarawak state election from being held on fears of worsening the spread of Covid-19 beggars belief. Article 150 of the Constitution allows for emergencies to be declared in localised areas as conceded even by Muhyiddin, and not just a nationwide emergency.
Many legal jurists and pundits have disagreed that only an emergency can prevent elections from being held, the latest alternative suggestion from Andrew Khoo of the Bar Council. Instead many see the request for an emergency proclamation as an attempt to reinforce and entrench his tenuous hold on power.
Clearly Muhyiddin has lost his majority in government with daily threats from UMNO to withdraw support from his PN government. For this reason, he does not want Parliament to sit, fears a no-confidence motion and that the 2021 Budget may not be passed. An emergency is the simplest and easiest remedy to overcome his political problems and weaknesses.
However an emergency will have serious repercussions and adverse consequences on the economy, investor confidence, democratic character and national unity. Muhyiddin should stop prioritising his own political interests of survival but focus instead on uniting the people to come together to battle the 3rd wave of COVID-19 infections.
The PN government can begin to act responsibly, starting with a Unity Budget 2021 that encompasses all inputs and incorporates policies from outside the government that benefits the ordinary rakyat to save jobs, businesses and livelihood.