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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s royal rulers will meet later on Sunday (October 25) to discuss the emergency measures proposed by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, as the country faces a protracted political crisis and struggles to control a growing pandemic.
The king, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, called the special meeting with the Malaysian rulers in Istana Negara to discuss and refine the suggestions proposed by Tan Sri Muhyiddin, who wants to call for a state of national emergency.
The Star newspaper reported that the meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 2.30 pm, will be informal and will be attended only by the leaders, without the presence of politicians.
He also said that the King will hand over the decision to the Prime Minister after the meeting.
The police advised the public not to gather near the palace. Members of the media had started waiting outside as early as 10 a.m.
The decision may not be easy to make.
The proposal to declare a state of emergency has drawn widespread condemnation, and the move has been described as unconstitutional, undemocratic and a bid by the prime minister to retain political power.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has described the proposal as “nothing more than the descent into dictatorship and authoritarianism.”
Democratic Action Party veteran Lim Kit Siang said: “Malaysia should not be put into a state of emergency just to provide vital support for Muhyiddin’s political survival. No proposal from a prime minister like the current one to declare a state of The emergency and suspending Parliament to Fight the Covid-19 pandemic had received such universal rejection from all sectors of Malaysia since the country achieved Merdeka in 1957. “
Some Perikatan Nasional politicians are also against the proposal.
Umno’s vice president, Mohamad Hasan, warned that “it could negatively affect the economy and put the nation, as well as the rakyat (people) in a more difficult situation.”
Lim also criticized the government’s silence on the matter.
“As of today, Muhyiddin has not shared with the Malaysians his plan to suspend parliament and put Malaysia in a state of emergency, and the Malaysians have to rely on the rumor mills, which have been working overtime since Friday,” he said.
“What is most unusual and unusual is that Malaysians are getting more information from Yang di-Pertuan Agong than from the prime minister about the prime minister’s proposal,” he added.
The plan to declare a state of emergency comes as Muhyiddin faces the risk of a vote of no confidence when Parliament meets on November 6 to discuss the national budget.
Datuk Seri Anwar claimed a month ago that he had the numbers to wrest control of Parliament from the prime minister.
There is a fear that the prime minister, who only had a minimum majority of two in the previous parliamentary session, could lose the vote of confidence, leaving the budget in limbo. Furthermore, this could trigger a new general election amid a worsening pandemic, an option both sides of the political divide want to avoid.
Malaysia reported a record 1,228 Covid-19 cases on Saturday.
At a special Cabinet meeting on Friday morning it was agreed that the government should advise the King to declare a state of emergency, which would allow the suspension of Parliament, avoiding any attempt to undermine the PN government.
It remains to be seen what powers the government will wield, but the “economic emergency” that Muhyiddin seeks is expected to be different from previous national emergencies. If this is true, there would be no military in the streets and the people could go about their business as usual.
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