Irresponsible to hold general election now, says Malaysia health minister

PUTRAJAYA • Holding a general election soon would be an irresponsible move, said Malaysian Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He said the recent increase in Covid-19 hospitalisations, coupled with the emergence of the Omicron variant, meant that it would not be a good idea to hold the country's 15th general election in the near future.

"The Health Ministry is of the view that the general election is something that can be avoided.

"This is unlike the Sarawak election which has to be organised, and the Melaka election which was called following the state assembly's dissolution.

"The number of Covid-19 cases is still at a worrying level and hospitalisations are going up. On top of that, a new variant has just emerged. It will be irresponsible to hold the general election now.

"The ministry will strongly advise against holding a general election anytime soon," the minister told a press conference in Putrajaya on Friday.

The Health Ministry reported 5,097 new Covid-19 infections yesterday, bringing cases in the country to more than 2.6 million.

Besides restricting Malaysians from travelling to South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first discovered, and its neighbouring countries, Mr Khairy also said his ministry will enhance existing genomics surveillance and speed up the ongoing booster shot programme to add protection against the new strain.

Malaysia's current Parliament term does not expire until 2023, but many people are speculating that snap polls may be called soon.

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan had recently called for the general election to be held soon.

Meanwhile, on the upcoming Sarawak election, Mr Khairy said his ministry is still discussing Covid-19 safety measures with the state government.

Sarawak will go to the polls on Dec 18, with Dec 6 set as nomination day.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK