Malaysia invokes emergency to stop by-elections as COVID-19 cases rise

• Malaysia’s government on 16 Dec 20 declared a state of emergency to stop by-elections in two constituencies scheduled for Jan 21, as the country grapples with a spike in coronavirus cases over the past few months.
• The Proclamation of Emergency based on Clause (1) Article 150 of the Federal Constitution was made after studying the explanation given by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who had presented his advice based on a decision taken at the Cabinet meeting.
• Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a statement the king had assented to the request to impose an emergency in the Bugaya constituency in Sabah on Borneo, the state that health authorities believe was the epicentre of the country’s third wave of infections, and the Gerik constituency in Perak state.
• He added that the cabinet made the decision on 4 Dec 20 after considering its impact on the by-elections. The Election Commission (EC) had earlier fixed the two by-elections to be held simultaneously on 16 Jan 20 following the deaths of the seats’ elected representatives.
• On 16 Nov 20, Gerik member of parliament Datuk Hasbullah Osman died in Raub, Pahang of a heart attack. Bugaya assemblyman Manis Muka Mohd Darah, meanwhile, died on 17 Nov 20 after suffering from kidney disease.
• The government had declared a state of emergency in another constituency in Sabah in Nov 20, also to stop a scheduled by-election.
• On 18 Nov 20, the Agong declared an emergency in Batu Sapi following a spike in coronavirus cases, thereby deferring a by-election set for 5 Dec 20.
• In Oct 20, King Al-Sultan Abdullah rejected an attempt by Muhyiddin to impose a nationwide state of emergency in response to rising coronavirus cases, with critics accusing the premier of attempting to block a potential showdown in parliament ahead of a crucial budget vote.
• Muhyiddin on 15 Dec 20 succeeded in passing his 2021 budget with a two-vote majority in parliament.

External Link : https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/290261

External Link : https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/king-has-consented-emergency-declaration-postponing-gerik-bugaya-byelections-%E2%80%94-pm

External Link : https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN28Q129