Malaysia’s king says parliament can sit despite national emergency to tackle coronavirus pandemic

In a statement released by the palace, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah says the country’s laws allow parliament to convene while other Covid-19 restrictions remain

The king announced the emergency on January 12 after being advised to do so by PM Muhyiddin, in a move critics say the embattled premier took to stay in power

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Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah offers prayers during the opening ceremony for a parliamentary session last year. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:38pm, 24 Feb 2021Updated: 6:27pm, 24 Feb 2021

Malaysia’s king on Wednesday said the country’s parliament, suspended since January following the declaration of an eight-month nationwide state of emergency to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, should be able to convene while other restrictions remained in place.

In a statement, the national palace said Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah made his views on the matter clear during a meeting with the speakers of the country’s upper and lower houses of parliament.

Sultan Abdullah – who wields the constitutional powers of a head of state – said Malaysia’s emergency laws allowed for the legislature to convene, contrary to the perception “by some parties” that this was not the case, according to the statement.

The monarch on January 12 declared a national emergency until August after being advised to do so by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

The government had at the time argued that it needed expansive powers to quell a third wave of Covid-19 cases as daily infections surged across the country.

But critics of Muhyiddin hit back by saying the administration already had ample powers to deal with the health crisis.

Instead, the likes of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim believe Muhyiddin advised Sultan Abdullah to declare the national emergency for the sole purpose of preserving the prime minister’s political future, as defections had led to the ruling Perikatan Nasional alliance losing its parliamentary majority by January.

Muhyiddin had first sought a national emergency in October, but Sultan Abdullah rejected that request, saying such a measure was not necessary at the time.