Only federal govt can issue EMCO rules, says Ismail Sabri
Published on: Monday, August 10, 2020
By: FMT
PETALING JAYA: Only the federal government has the power to make announcements on matters regarding the enhanced movement control order (EMCO).
Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this was in line with the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988.
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He said state governments did not have the authority to take action under the Act as it might cause confusion among the people.
“I wish to remind everyone in these states that the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act is a federal law and state governments do not have their own laws that are similar to this except for Sarawak,” he said.
“As such, any order can only be issued by the federal government based on the Act, and rules announced by the states without approval from the federal government cannot be enforced.”
Ismail also said police were not allowed to arrest people and issue compounds unless approved by the federal government.
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“Usually, all EMCOs are announced beforehand, but the director-general of health, under Section 11(3), may issue an order himself,” he said.
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“State governments cannot limit the number of people at gatherings to 150 as this rule can only be imposed by the federal government,” he added.
