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PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has urged the Perikatan Nasional government to reevaluate the need to declare a state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said that members of the administration must respect the rule of law and defend the fundamental freedoms of the people under the Federal Constitution.
Suhakam’s statement comes amid widespread speculation about a possible state of emergency or partial emergency, and opposition politicians accuse the government of trying to prolong its grip on power.
A coalition of civil society groups called the CSO Reform Platform today accused the government of seeking a state of emergency “to thwart the challenge to its leadership in Parliament” and avoid scrutiny of the 2021 national budget.
No details have yet emerged on what the government has proposed.
Suhakam said that an emergency declaration “may lead to greater instability in the country and among the people.”
He said that four previous emergency declarations had resulted in the suspension of Parliament, a worsening economy and violations of fundamental freedoms.
The commission also said that the Covid-19 crisis did not pose a threat to national security and that current measures were sufficient to contain the pandemic.
