MUKHRIZ Mahathir will introduce a private member’s bill to postpone a general election because of the  coronavirus threat.

The Jerlun MP said he proposed to amend Article 55(3) of the federal constitution which states that parliament must be dissolved at the end of five years.

“This is important as at this time the current law stipulates that the general election must be held even during a pandemic.

“In addition, some government representatives have mentioned that such a situation can only be avoided if an emergency is declared,” he said while debating Budget 2021 in parliament today.

The Pejuang party president said to pass, the amendments required the support of two-thirds of the 222-seat house.

He expected Putrajaya to back the bill that would allow the government to focus on containing the Covid-19 epidemic without worrying about elections.

“Jerlun is confident that if there is a strong political will among all parties, there is no reason why we shouldn’t amend the federal constitution to save the rakyat from the threats of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the former Kedah menteri besar.

Malaysia is in the throes of a third wave of virus infections.

It reported 1,210 new cases and five deaths from Covid-19 yesterday.  These take the national caseload to 49,730 and the death toll to 318. 

The Klang Valley accounted for the bulk of the cases at 518, followed by Sabah at 499.