KUALA LUMPUR – Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has disclosed that Covid-19 positive individuals might be able to vote in the upcoming 15th general election, with discussions between relevant agencies well underway.
Speaking to the media after launching the Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM) annual report at Putrajaya today, Khairy said that he had told one of his officers to discuss the matter with the Election Commission (EC).
“We are trying to figure out the safest protocol for Covid-19 positive patients to carry out their voting duties.
“We were not able to implement such measures in time for the Johor election, but we cannot continue denying voters the chance to cast ballots as doing so would be going against their constitutional right,” he said.
Khairy stressed that any planning for national polls must consider the potential for mass transmission of Covid-19 as election campaigns and voting will involve large crowds of people.
“As an Umno member myself, I understand the political considerations behind a general election but I am also a health minister with a responsibility towards the public.
“We cannot avoid holding a general election, but we can at least try to set a date or period that is of relatively low risk to public health,” he said.
Khairy said the Health Ministry is currently monitoring the effects of the latest Omicron BA.2 strain on the public, and that it would be “very premature” to determine how the pandemic will develop over the next three to six months.
Earlier at the event, Khairy said the CRM sponsored a total of 215 clinical research projects last year, the highest annual amount since the organisation was formed in 2012.
This achievement ranks Malaysia as having the second-highest number of global industry-sponsored studies in Southeast Asia behind neighbouring Singapore, according to the Health Ministry. – The Vibes, March 21, 2022
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