THE Emergency in Sarawak, scheduled to end tomorrow, will be continued until Feb 22, said Istana Negara.
According a Government gazette today, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong al-Sultan Abdullah Almarhum Sultan Ahmad Syah had consented to the extension on Thursday.
However, the proclamation will first be discussed at the Parliament, as per Article 150 (3) of the Federal Constitution.
The gazette elaborated that the Agong, as the head of state, opined that a major emergency is underway that threatens the safety, economic livelihoods and peace in the Federation, caused by COVID-19.
“Therefore, under Clause (3) of Article 21 of the Sarawak State Constitution, the state legislature which was supposed to have been dissolved on June 7, but Clause (3) of Article 21 does not have any impact per paragraph 15(1)(a) of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021, which suspends the dissolution of the state legislature.
“Paragraph 15(1)(a) will cease to be in force as of Aug 2, 2021, per the Emergency Proclamation, which was issued on Jan 11, wherein the state election must be held within 60 after Aug 2, according to Clause (4) of Article 21 of the Sarawak State Constitution,” it stated.
The Agong decreed that Clause (1) of Article 150 of the Federal Constitution enables him, in such instance, power to issue an Emergency proclamation to suspend elections for states.
“Therefore I, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah, by the grace of Allah, as Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the states and territories of Malaysia, hereby carry out the authority vested in me as stated above, to declare a major emergency to be occurring, and for the Proclamation to cover all of Sarawak beginning on August 2, 2021, until February 2, 2022,” the gazette reads. – July 31, 2021
