Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has stressed that the declaration of Emergency in the country was an appropriate move taken in response to a major health crisis and not due to politics.
He said the Emergency was not to enable him to hold on to the post of Prime Minister, but to ensure that the Covid-19 pandemic could be managed effectively and speedily.
He gave an assurance that the Emergency would be lifted earlier than its scheduled end of Aug 1 if the pandemic could be contained and the country was deemed safe from the virus.
“If we can settle it early (and) the Independent Special Committee that was set up says it can be done (lifted), I will just follow … We also do not want to be restricted by such a regulation forever,” said Muhyiddin in a special interview with Bernama and several other media organisations at his residence in Bukit Damansara here, in conjunction with his first anniversary as Prime Minister. The interview was aired on ‘Buletin Bernama’ over Bernama TV at 8pm yesterday.
Muhyiddin said via the Emergency Ordinance, the government could propose amendments to certain acts or enact new regulations in the form of Ordinance without having to go through Parliament, which would take a long time.
“So, I would like to say that this does not mean the Emergency is to enable me to hold the Prime Minister’s post for a long time. I also do not know which party now has more seats than me; previously, there was an attempt to show (the numbers), but it was not proven.
“I am confident that I have a big support. I am convinced that my position is constitutionally right. Legal. I cannot sit as an illegitimate Prime Minister. That’s because I do my work properly. So, I’m not worried about that.
“But the declaration of Emergency was not a question of politics. Some politicians view it as political, (but) no. Politics should not be used for emergency, but this Covid-19 requires (declaration of) an Emergency. So, I hope the people understand – it was not due to the fear of not getting a majority in Parliament,” he added.
The Prime Minister said the 15th general election would be held at a suitable time because the priority now would be to overcome the Covid-19 threat, which has infected almost 300,000 people and claimed more than 1,000 lives in the country.
“The important thing is we settle this (Covid-19) first. When we are done with it, I don’t want to wait even a day (to hold elections) – we are not worried at all,” he said.
The first Covid-19 case was reported in Malaysia on Jan 25 last year, with the first wave involving imported cases, while the second wave struck at the end of February the same year.
There was a spike in Covid-19 cases during the third wave, which occurred in September last year after the Sabah state election.
After the daily positive cases surged from double digits to thousands, the Prime Minister advised the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to declare an emergency.
On Jan 12, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah declared the Proclamation of Emergency, to be in force until this Aug 1.
The Emergency is a proactive measure to curb the spread of Covid-19, and would be lifted earlier if new Covid-19 cases could be effectively controlled and reduced.
Al-Sultan Abdullah also consented to the government’s proposal to set up the Independent Special Committee to advise him accordingly if the Emergency could be ended earlier.
The committee comprises government and opposition members of Parliament, and also health experts. — Bernama