What a state of emergency in Malaysia would entail

A barricade on a street in Kuala Lumpur during the race riots that broke out in the capital on May 13, 1969. The riots continued the next day, and the government declared a state of emergency on May 15 to prevent the unrest from spreading to other pa
Malaysian security forces in 1964 on the trail of a group of Indonesian guerillas who had sailed in two boats to a point north of Sungei Buntu in Johor’s Pontian district before going into hiding inland. ST FILE PHOTOS
A barricade on a street in Kuala Lumpur during the race riots that broke out in the capital on May 13, 1969. The riots continued the next day, and the government declared a state of emergency on May 15 to prevent the unrest from spreading to other pa
A barricade on a street in Kuala Lumpur during the race riots that broke out in the capital on May 13, 1969. The riots continued the next day, and the government declared a state of emergency on May 15 to prevent the unrest from spreading to other parts of the country. ST FILE PHOTOS

Q: What happens if an emergency is declared in Malaysia?

A: Parliament can be suspended during an emergency, while by-elections and the general election can be postponed. The federal government would be empowered to push through policies that it would normally not be able to.

Q: Who can declare an emergency?

A: An emergency can be announced once the king is satisfied, based on the prime minister's advice, that a grave emergency exists which threatens the security, economy or public order of the nation.

Q: What will this emergency entail?

A: The "economic emergency" that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is seeking will ensure that government spending to curb the Covid-19 pandemic is not jeopardised by political developments. There would be no military presence on the streets and people can go about their business as usual.

If this is the case, it would be different from the national emergencies declared in the past, including the one following deadly racial riots in May 1969.

It remains to be seen what powers the government will exercise, but it is likely that only political processes will be suspended. Laws and expenditure will be approved directly by the executive branch of the government.

Q: Why is an emergency being considered now?

A: The government is battling a Covid-19 outbreak, with Sabah being the worst-affected area. The state recorded a spike in the number of cases following campaigning for state polls last month.

The Muhyiddin government is also facing an attempt by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to unseat it with a claim that he has majority support in Parliament. Many Malaysians are said to not be keen on a general election during the Covid-19 crisis.

There is a big question mark over whether Tan Sri Muhyiddin has enough support in Parliament.

There are worries that a general election could be called even as the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise, should Mr Muhyiddin's coalition collapse if he fails to pass next year's budget on Nov 6 due to a lack of support in Parliament.

Q: How many times has Malaysia been under an emergency?

A: Four times.

The first was in September 1964, when a nationwide emergency was called during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, after Indonesian soldiers landed on Malaysian soil. The confrontation ended in August 1966.

In September 1966, the government declared the Sarawak Emergency - the first to be limited to one state. The proclamation was made following political squabbles in Sarawak linked to moves to oust the chief minister, Datuk Stephen Kalong Ningkan. His court appeal was rejected in August 1968.

The third emergency was called nationwide in 1969, owing to race riots on May 13. Racial clashes had broken out in Kuala Lumpur that day, and by 8pm, police declared a curfew, with soldiers and policemen deployed.

The riots continued the next day, and the government declared a state of emergency on May 15 to prevent the unrest from spreading to other parts of the country. Newspaper publications were also suspended on May 15.

The Cabinet was replaced by the National Operations Council, which governed Malaysia in lieu of the elected government until 1971, when Parliament was restored.

The fourth emergency was called in November 1977 in Kelantan during a power struggle between Umno and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).

The then Menteri Besar, Datuk Mohamed Nasir from PAS, had refused to resign when ordered to by his party, although he had lost the confidence of the PAS-led state assembly. The crisis ended in March 1978 with new state polls.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on October 25, 2020, with the headline What a state of emergency in Malaysia would entail. Subscribe