PETALING JAYA: The Batu Sapi by-election and the Sarawak state elections must be held unless a state of emergency is declared, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pix) said.
Muhyiddin said he was concerned that if the elections were to proceed it would exacerbate the country’s Covid-19 crisis.
He said the Federal Constitution and the Sarawak state constitution stipulate that elections must be held if the seats are declared vacant or if the state assembly is dissolved.
“This is a serious matter. Therefore, if you ask me, the elections should not be held at this time,“ he said, adding elections would be postponed if a state of emergency is declared.
“If a state of emergency is declared under Article 150 of the Federal Constitution in Batu Sapi and Sarawak, we can postpone these two elections until Covid-19 ends,“ he said.
However, if elections cannot be postponed for any reason, he appealed to the people in Batu Sapi and Sarawak to be careful.
“Obey the SOP with full discipline when elections are held,“ he said in a special announcement broadcast live today.
Last week, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong rejected the government’s proposal for a declaration of emergency.
The king stated that the country’s Covid-19 crisis is manageble and told politicians to focus on the battle against the virus rather than politicking.
