Can all political parties agree not to hold GE15 during pandemic?

 

MP SPEAKS | Recently, there have been new convulsions on the Malaysian political scene. One of the demands is to hold the 15th general election even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fourteen opposition Members of Parliament have issued a joint statement blasting the push for the holding of a snap general election even during the pandemic, which had registered a cumulative total of 122,845 Covid-19 cases and 509 fatalities – placing Malaysia as number 72 among countries in the world with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases, 10 places ahead of China, where the pandemic started and which has 40 times the population of Malaysia.

The 14 MPs are DAP's Hannah Yeoh, Teo Nie Ching and Yeo Bee Yin, Amanah's Salahuddin Ayub, Khalid Samad and Mahfuz Omar, PKR's R Sivarasa, Parti Sarawak Bersatu's Baru Bian, Warisan's Darrell Leiking, Azis Jamman,and Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis, Pejuang's Amiruddin Hamzah and Senator Marzuki Yahya and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman of Muda.

If not for the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia, caused by the greed of the Perikatan Nasional government to grab power in the Sabah state election, Malaysia would have a better record in managing the pandemic.

On Sept 1 last year, Malaysia had a cumulative total of 9,354 Covid-19 cases and 128 deaths and the daily increase of new cases was in the lower two-digit figure of 14 cases and new daily increase of fatalities in the lower single-digit figure of one.

But the Sabah state election changed the entire picture of the pandemic, and yesterday, there were 2,027 new cases and eight deaths, bringing the cumulative total to 122,845 cases and 509 fatalities.

New Zealand stood out in the world in ringing the New Year with music festivals with no health protocols for the over 30,000 concert-goers, while most of the world marked the event with muted celebrations.

We could have joined New Zealand during the New Year among countries which had successfully fought the pandemic - if not for the fatal mistake of holding the Sabah election, which brought in the third wave of the pandemic.

Are we to make the same mistake by holding the GE15 during the pandemic and see a more ferocious fourth wave of the pandemic with a greater cumulative total of Covid-19 cases and fatalities – which would probably catapult Malaysia to be among the top countries in the world with the most cumulative cases?

The question Malaysians are entitled to ask all political parties is: can they all reach a national consensus that the GE15 would not be held during the widespread pandemic?

All political parties must ensure that the top priority during the pandemic is to save lives and livelihoods and ensure that Malaysia can stage a swift and full post-pandemic economic and national recovery.

This is why I had suggested the summoning of a special Parliament sitting in a week or so as we cannot wait until Parliament is reconvened on March 8, as by that time, if the Covid-19 trajectory continues unabated, we may see the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia in the region from 200,000 to 250,000 cases.

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LIM KIT SIANG is the DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri. - Mkini

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.