Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said there would be no curfew or military rule after announcing a state of emergency for Malaysia last January 7, 2021.
“The civilian government will continue to function. The emergency proclaimed by the King is not a military coup, and curfews will not be enforced,” Tan Sri Muhyiddin said in a nationwide broadcast.
Doubts in recent days, the Perikatan Nasional government requested for an emergency declaration to tackle the pandemic in October last year, and was rejected by King Abdullah Ahmad Shah.
Mr. Muhyiddin added that no state assembly sitting or Parliament will occur while the state of emergency is in effect.
However, he committed to holding the general election as soon as the Covid-19 crisis is under control.
“I give my firm commitment that general elections will be held as soon as the independent committee endorses that the Covid-19 pandemic has eased or controlled fully, and elections can be safely held. Then it will be up to the public to elect a new government,” he said on Tuesday.
Despite the situation, he added that state executive councils and the Cabinet and government services would continue to function as usual.
“I give my assurance that the government machinery and public services will not be affected by this emergency declaration,” he said.
The state of emergency has been declared after Malaysia recorded more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases daily for the past week.
With fresh numbers of 3,309 cases on Tuesday, active cases rise to 141,000, with 559 deaths.