HOLDING a general election in a national health emergency will have dire consequences, said a public policy think-tank. 

Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib said Malaysia does not have the capacity to organise elections that allow voters to safely participate in campaign activities and cast their votes during an epidemic of communicable disease.

“The consequences and lessons from last year’s Sabah elections are abundantly clear. 

“Months after those elections, we are still dealing with the consequences with thousands of people infected, widespread community infections with hundreds of unlinked cases in locations far from suitable medical facilities, and a state healthcare infrastructure struggling to trace, isolate and care for the infected,” he said in a statement. 

Azrul said the epidemic’s ongoing third wave, which origins can be traced to late September, is showing no sign of abating.

“In recent days, the Ministry of Health has announced not only record-high daily Covd-19 numbers but also expressed alarm at the increasing number of deaths caused by the disease. These conditions will likely worsen tenfold in the aftermath of a general election.”

He said in an election, physical rallies will be held despite warnings and SOPs selectively observed or ignored altogether. 

“There will still be no options for mail-in voting, politicians will want to be seen shaking hands, speaking without masks, and glad-handing supporters.

While the government has estimated that it will cost RM1.2 billion to organise a general election during this epidemic, he said one should also think about the possible economic losses due to the lockdowns needed to contain the resulting explosion of infections, which will cripple businesses and deprive households of income.
 
One must also consider the “hundreds of thousands who will definitely need to be isolated and quarantined and the thousands who will fall sick with serious illnesses and the hundreds who will die.”

Azrul said elections will lead to a massive surge in cases unlike anything Malaysians have ever seen. 

The candidates will be at higher risk of falling sick due to their age and health conditions, he said.
 
He said the incumbents or aspiring politicians are likely to be around the median age of 55 if not older.
 
“Many will have at least one or two non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular disease, as well as being either overweight or obese.”

Azrul said many of those politicians fall into the high risk and vulnerable groups of people who are likely to experience serious complications as a result of coronavirus infection.

“A general election environment would expose them to multiple opportunities and increased risk of infection and danger. The Sabah experience clearly showed that even ministers and senior politicians are at risk.

“Due to these reasons, for many, especially for those in the high risk and vulnerable categories, participating in a general election, whether as a candidate, election worker, political campaign supporter or voter, could mean debilitating illness or even death. 

He said at this point, the question of who has the support of the people and should be the government of the day should be resolved in Parliament. 

“A special legislative meeting of the Dewan Rakyat should be called.  Let the people’s elected representatives decide among themselves in a location which can be sanitised, where the threat of infection can be managed and controlled, and the number of people involved kept low. 

“From a public health perspective, in Parliament, the danger of an outbreak can be realistically managed.”

“There is no need to put the wider public at risk through campaigns, ceramah and physical voting. We are in the midst of an unprecedented epidemic, a public health emergency. We should not treat this as business as usual.” – January 10, 2021.