Juliet Uduji
Malaysia’s king declared a Nationwide state of emergency on 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 .
Muhyiddin has narrowly survived a series of challenges in parliament since taking office but is now thought to have lost his majority.
Malaysia kept the virus in check for much of last year with a tough lockdown but , once curbs were eased , cases accelerated and have repeatedly hit fresh records in recent days.
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. The Country has reported more than 138 , 000 virus cases and 555 deaths.