The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and affected the political system of Malaysia, causing suspensions of legislative activities and isolation of multiple politicians due to fears of spreading the virus. The onset of the pandemic coincided with a

political crisis Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

in early 2020 which continued into 2021 as the spread of COVID-19 and emergency government measures exacerbated initially unrelated political instability, culminating in the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

in August 2021. Numerous elections have been postponed or suspended after the

2020 Sabah state election The 2020 Sabah state election took place on 26 September 2020 to elect all 73 elected members of the 16th Sabah State Legislative Assembly. The previous Assembly was dissolved on 30 July 2020. The state snap election was called prematurely a ...

was blamed for a major outbreak in the state that led to the country's third wave. Several politicians have tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021.

General election and government formation

A political crisis in Malaysia coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The Pakatan Harapan coalition government collapsed, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad ( ms, محاضير بن محمد, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and physician who served as the 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the office ...

and eventual replacement with Muhyiddin Yassin and a new Perikatan Nasional coalition, which maintained a small majority. Prime Minister Muhyiddin blamed the

for a substantial increase in COVID-19 cases across the state and country. In June 2021, the rulers of Malaysia declared that there is no need to extend a state of emergency after 1 August, and parliament should be reopened as soon as possible. The emergency has led to the suspension of all federal parliament and state assembly sittings and also by-elections, among other things, therefore by-elections will need to proceed after 1 August in Sarawak (

assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

), (federal seat), (federal seat),

Bugaya Muhammad Bugaya Dan Tsamiya, known as Bugaya, was a King of Kano who reigned from 1385 - 1390. Early life Muhammad was the son of Tsamiya and Maganarku. After the betrayal and subsequent murder of his father by his uncle Usman Zamnagawa, his un ...

(Sabah state seat) and

Melor Melor (also known in Latin as Melorius; in Cornish as Mylor; in French as Méloir; and other variations) was a 10th-century Breton saint who, in England, was venerated in Cornwall and at Amesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, which claimed some of his ...

(Kelantan state seat).

Restriction announcements

A large outbreak at a Tablighi Jamaat religious event and the spread of the virus across the country were thought to have been exacerbated by the political instability, with the new Health Minister, Adham Baba criticizing his predecessor

Dzulkefly Ahmad Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly bin Ahmad ( Jawi: ذوالكفل بن أحمد; born 1 January 1956) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Minister of Health in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohama ...

, although there was no clear government responsible at the time. Shortly after a thin government majority was established, the new government announced the nationwide Movement Control Order (MCO) to curb the spread of the virus. Amid ongoing political instability, Yang di-Pertuan Agong warned politicians in May 2020 that he "would like to advise against dragging the country once again into a political mess that brings uncertainties" given the ongoing health crisis in the country. In January 2021, a State of Emergency was declared, suspending all elections and parliament, and the government were empowered to pass laws without oversight in response to the pandemic and ongoing political instability. This led to the resignation of MP Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub from the party, resulting in the loss of the government's required majority of at least 111 MPs in the

Dewan Rakyat The Dewan Rakyat (English: 'House of Representatives'; ) is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, the federal legislature of Malaysia. The chamber and its powers are established by Article 44 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The Dewan Ra ...

. Opposition leader

Anwar Ibrahim Anwar bin Ibrahim ( ms, انور بن ابراهيم, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset, IPA: ; born 10 August 1947) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia since November 2022. He served as the 12 ...

criticised the declaration, saying this was an effort for the government to maintain power and that 115 other MPs were against it.

Instances of isolation and testing

On 17 March 2020, Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen ( member of parliament) tested positive for COVID-19 and was quarantined at

Sarawak General Hospital Sarawak General Hospital (Malay: ''Hospital Umum Sarawak'') is the largest hospital in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. It is the main tertiary and referral hospital in East Malaysia. In its earlier years it was known as Kuching General Hospita ...

. He was suspected of having been infected with the virus after meeting Sarikei MP Wong Ling Biu who also tested positive for the virus. He was announced to have recovered on 23 March 2020. Another MP which is

Chong Chieng Jen Chong Chieng Jen (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Chông Khien-ìn, born 12 February 1971), is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who served as the Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under form ...

( member of parliament) tested negative.

List of assemblymen who tested positive for COVID-19

Dewan Negara (Senators)

Dewan Negara The Dewan Negara (English language, English: Senate; Literal translation, lit. "State Council") is the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia, consisting of 70 senators of whom 26 are elected by the State legislative assemblies of Malaysia, ...

Dewan Rakyat (Members of Parliament)

Dewan Undangan Negeri (Malaysian State Assembly Representatives)

State legislative assemblies of Malaysia A state legislative assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri, DUN; also known simply as state assembly) is the legislative branch of the state governments in each of the 13 Malaysian states. Members of a state legislative assembly comprises elected r ...

Selangor State Legislative Assembly Sabah State Legislative Assembly Johor State Legislative Assembly Kelantan State Legislative Assembly Pahang State Legislative Assembly Perlis State Legislative Assembly

Malacca State Legislative Assembly The Malacca State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Melaka) is the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state of Malacca. It is composed of 28 members who are elected from single-member constituencies throughout the state. Ele ...

Terengganu State Legislative Assembly The Terengganu State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Terengganu) is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Terengganu. It consists of 32 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the state. ...

Kedah State Legislative Assembly

Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly The Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Sembilan) is the state legislature of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. It consists of 36 members who represent single-member constituencies throughout the state. ...

Sarawak State Legislative Assembly

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics in Malaysia Political history of Malaysia 2020 in Malaysia 2021 in Malaysia Ireland Politics