Sphere Of Influences In Public Policy Domain During EmergencyTo Combat COVID-19

Abstract

The spreading of Covid19 as a global pandemic has tested countries around the world at many levels. From mental strength to economic resiliency and far stretching to include legality of issues. A year later, the world is still not in a better place. Malaysia, like others are fighting the thirds waves of the pandemic, believed to be more fatal than before. From March 2020 until to date, Malaysians have been placed under complete lockdown before that order was relaxed and tighten again when the numbers of infected patients and deaths skyrocketed. Now Malaysia is placed under emergency order and law. Strangely the emergency order is issued while the complete and conditional Movement Control Orders (MCO) are still in effect. Since an emergency is a situation where the country could not be managed under regular administrative system, it is important to know which parties that are majorly involved in currently running the country to fight Covid19 has the overriding power over the others, what are their rights or limitations. Between the emergency order, complete MCO and conditional MCO, which one should be prioritized and how long would Malaysia remain under emergency? The answer could be found by studying the sphere of influences in the public policy domain. The article is qualitative in nature; data is collected from legal documents, judicial precedents and article writings. The sphere of influences during emergency time is more complex than usual. The legislative and executive powers are concentrated to one or two party(s) with enormous authorities and expansive jurisdictions.