COMMENT | Emergency 2021: An appraisal

COMMENT | On Jan 11, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, upon advice by the government, issued a proclamation of emergency that covered the whole of the federation. The said proclamation of emergency ended on Aug 1 after the government decided against advising the Agong to extend the said proclamation beyond the end date, except for a fresh proclamation of emergency for the state of Sarawak from Aug 2 to Feb 2, 2022.

The proclamation of emergency of 2021 lasted a total of nearly seven months or 203 days. During the emergency, several emergency ordinances were promulgated by the Agong on advice of the government.

One of the earliest ordinances promulgated suspended the sitting of Parliament and state legislative assemblies, and right up to the last days of August, Parliament - the country’s highest legislative body - was...