Lim said one of the candidates can be the prime minister and the other his deputy.

He said they can combine all political forces in a “war Parliament” to battle the Covid-19 pandemic and pave the way for the 15th general election in 18 months’ time.

In a statement today, the Iskandar Puteri MP said the war Cabinet should reflect parliamentary unity and come up with a new policy and strategy to restore public hope, trust and confidence in a “whole-of-society” approach.

Citing the record high 22,242 new infections yesterday, Lim said: “This is Malaysia’s ‘darkest hour’. We must stem the national haemorrhage to find our ‘finest hour’ – and a war Cabinet and war Parliament are the remedy for such dire times.”

He said the war Parliament must forge national unity with MPs playing a leading role in the various parliamentary select committees not only on the pandemic but to prepare the ground for an economic and national recovery.

“The war Cabinet and war Parliament must be established on the bedrock principles in the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara of constitutional monarchy based on parliamentary democracy, the doctrine of the separation of powers, and upholding the rule of law, good governance and human rights,” he added.