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KUCHING: Any state of emergency to address the Covid-19 situation in Malaysia should only be imposed in the target states, not the entire country, says a leader from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
PBB Vice Chairman Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said he did not believe that an emergency should be imposed in Sarawak, which has been reporting very few cases.
He also questioned whether the Covid-19 outbreak was a sufficient reason to declare an emergency.
“In my opinion, an emergency can only be imposed under certain circumstances, such as a system failure, a war or a major disaster such as an earthquake.
“In the event that an emergency is declared, it can be imposed in a single state in Peninsular Malaysia or Sabah.
“I hope that in case an emergency is imposed due to Covid-19, it does not reach Sarawak, where the rate of positive cases is only one or two per day,” he told reporters after attending the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between SEDC Energy, Sumitomo Corporation, and Eneos Japan here on Friday (Oct 23).
Karim, who is the state’s Minister of Tourism, Art and Culture, said this following reports that an emergency could be declared to address the increase in Covid-19 cases.
GPS, the governing state coalition in Sarawak, is aligned with the federal Perikatan Nasional administration.
Karim said he was not sure if the current Covid-19 situation warranted an emergency.
“But it depends on the Federal Government. They have to find a good reason,” he said.
When asked if the emergency was to address the political situation in the country, Karim said that this was not the way to approach politics.
“It shouldn’t be done to stop the Opposition. We should have an open perspective.
“If it’s for fear of a vote of no confidence, I don’t think that’s one of the reasons for an emergency to be imposed,” he said.
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