LETTER | I did not want to comment earlier simply because all the constitutional and legal experts, politicians, activists, NGOs, etc, were giving their considered opinions on the request by the government for His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to agree to a National Declaration of Emergency.

Today, after the Agong has rendered his decision in consultation with his fellow rulers, I would like to state that to me, a former government servant as Malaysia’s first local chief of navy and having served under all our previous emergencies since our nation’s independence, it appeared as if the government’s move was purely a political expedient. Every emergency (communist terrorism, Indonesian confrontation and May 13 racial disturbances) declared in the past was because our national security was threatened.

Our National Security Council (NSC) is operational and meets daily to assess the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country and advises the government on steps to take in collaboration with health and other ministries to mitigate the spike in new cases, etc. NSC has the powers to order lockdowns, impose curfews, etc, in badly affected areas with the concurrence of the government. Hence, an emergency rule was totally uncalled for.

I salute His Majesty and his fellow rulers to have disagreed with the proposal for a National Emergency which clearly demonstrates that our constitution and democracy prevail over political intrigues. I sincerely hope that all political parties on both sides of the political divide heed His Majesty’s advice. 

K THANABALASINGAM is Rear Admiral (Rtd) and he was the first Malaysian to take over as Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).

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