Defend constitution while dealing with crisis - Mohamad Hasan

KUALA LUMPUR: Address the crisis that the country is facing by defending the constitution, allowing democracy to function, streamlining the response of the health and public safety system and prioritising the interests of the common people by not adding to their plight.

UMNO Deputy President Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said something that ignores science, affects the economy and isolates the role of the constitution will put the country and the people of Malaysia in a more difficult stead and worsen the situation.

"I call on the government to address this crisis with focus, constitutionality and intensify all efforts to educate the community based on science and data.

"This pandemic will only be overcome with a scientific approach, economic recovery and constitutional compliance," he said in a statement, on Saturday.

Mohamad stressed that Malaysia was in a health crisis that it had never faced in history.

However, he said, it was not a health crisis unique only to Malaysia, instead the coronavirus pandemic is a global epidemic that is also faced by almost every other country in the world.

He said, what differentiates is the scale of infectivity and casualties from this epidemic. Until now, Malaysia is still in a much better situation than most other countries.

“The capability of the Malaysian health system in dealing with this crisis is tested and has been recognised as one of the countries with the best action and should be emulated.

"Therefore, any action to address this crisis must reflect the Government's ability to act appropriately, scientifically and taking into account the public interest," he said.

Mohamad said that Malaysia is not in a state of economic paralysis, health system and public safety.

“In fact, Malaysia has been in a focused phase of economic recovery, stimulated by various stimuli in line with the interests of the people with a well-functioning health system despite being under pressure.

"People affected by this crisis continue to adhere to the gazetted health protocol. In fact, Malaysians continue to strive to empower themselves with jobs and businesses for survival," he added.