Tian Chua, who is PKR vice-president, said the Perikatan Nasional government should not make attempts to bypass parliamentary processes and seek emergency powers as a state of emergency has serious implications.

He said the Covid-19 crisis had reached a “critical moment for the whole nation to come together” and an attempt to undercut democracy was “not a good step forward”.

Instead, he proposed the formation of a council to counter the impacts of Covid-19, by including the business community, civil society and political parties of both sides.

“Instead of using Covid-19 to consolidate or grab power for any particular parties, the war against the virus should be seized as an opportunity for nation building.

“To achieve this aim, Covid-19 cannot be an excuse to subvert democracy, rather democracy is the most effective means to combat the pandemic,” he said.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and several Cabinet ministers had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, in Kuantan yesterday, to present proposals raised at a special Cabinet meeting on Friday.

There has been widespread speculation that the Cabinet has sought the declaration of a state of emergency, or a partial emergency, to deal with the Covid-19 crisis.

The King will discuss Muhyiddin’s proposal with the other Malay rulers soon.