Malaysia’s Anwar cries foul as embattled PM Muhyiddin said to eye bid for emergency powers

In Malaysia, a state of emergency can be declared by the king – on the advice of the premier – if the nation is facing an imminent threat

Critics say such a move, which will suspend parliament and allow Muhyiddin to rule by decree, would be an underhanded means to avoid a no-confidence vote

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Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Photo: Bernama/dpa

Published: 8:56pm, 23 Oct 2020Updated: 12:49am, 18 Dec 2020

Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Friday criticised a purported plan by the government to suspend parliament and rule by decree in the midst of surging coronavirus cases, saying the move would herald “dictatorship and authoritarianism”, as reports swirled that embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was manoeuvring to gain emergency powers.

Other critics too slammed the ruling Perikatan Nasional alliance for seeking to suspend the legislature as an underhanded means to avoid an embarrassing no-confidence vote defeat.

Following a meeting with his ministers and the country’s police and defence chiefs in the morning, local media reported that Muhyiddin called on Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah in the monarch’s home state of Pahang for a two-hour meeting.

Reuters, citing anonymous sources, reported that Muhyiddin had sought a state of emergency that would suspend parliament. The sources did not give a reason for the request.

There was no immediate comment from the prime minister’s office following his meeting with the constitutional monarch.

Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah. Photo: AFP