Malaysia to lift state of emergency on Aug 1 as planned

Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA'S government will not extend a controversial coronavirus state of emergency beyond Aug 1, the country's law minister said on Monday, as parliament convened after a months-long suspension that sparked widespread anger.

In January this year, the king declared the country's first nationwide state of emergency in more than half a century to fight Covid-19, following the advice of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

It allowed the government to rule by decree and suspend parliament, prompting critics to accuse Mr Muhyiddin of using the crisis to avoid a no-confidence vote and shore up his weak coalition.

Despite the emergency and a nationwide lockdown, the outbreak only worsened, fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant.

Malaysia's health ministry reported 14,516 new Covid-19 infections on Monday, down from a record high of 17,045 cases the previous day. The country's cumulative total infections now stand at 1,027,954, with more than 8,000 deaths.

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Facing mounting public anger and pressure from the king, Mr Muhyiddin agreed to reconvene the legislature for a five-day sitting starting on Monday, before the state of emergency officially ends on Aug 1.

However, the opposition has slammed the short session as a sham that will not truly test the embattled premier's support.

As lawmakers gathered in the 222-seat lower house on Monday wearing masks and separated by transparent screens, Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan announced the government would not request an extension of the state of emergency.

Mr Muhyiddin also defended his handling of the pandemic in an address to the legislature, saying he understood "the public's anxiety amid the spike in Covid cases".

"The government is not sitting back and watching the public suffer. (We are) acting to save lives," he said.

Other ministers are due to brief MPs on matters related to the pandemic during the five-day sitting.

But opposition lawmakers expressed anger at not being able to debate or vote on anything during the session, pointing out the king himself had called for important issues to be scrutinised.

"The prime minister has acted as a traitor for not adhering to the wishes of the king," opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim told the legislature.

Mr Muhyiddin, who seized power in March 2020 without an election after the collapse of a reformist government, has seen his administration riven by infighting.

The biggest party backing him, the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), announced it was withdrawing support for his coalition earlier this month. But Umno itself is split - some of its MPs still back Mr Muhyiddin - and his position seems secure in the short term. AFP