He said such calls could disrupt the government’s efforts in protecting the people from the Covid-19 pandemic and should be rejected outright.

“The thing we should not be doing at this time is to be arguing about who should be the prime minister and how to get enough support from MPs.

“This is all nonsense and does not take into account the pandemic that has affected the rakyat,” he said.

“This group must be rejected and prevented. Any move that can disrupt the work of the emergency proclamation (by the government) must be dealt with strictly,” said Hadi, who did not mention who he was referring to.

Hadi was speaking during the closing of an online seminar today titled “Is an emergency required?”

The opposition had previously rejected the government’s move to implement an emergency.

On Jan 12, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should have acted “responsibly” by resigning as prime minister after realising that support for him in the Dewan Rakyat was dwindling instead of proposing to the King that a nationwide emergency be implemented.

Speaking at a Facebook Live forum by the National Council of Professors yesterday, Anwar claimed that up to 115 MPs had expressed opposition to the proclamation of the emergency.

The Port Dickson MP added that the opposition had requested the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to reconsider the need to continue with the emergency and allow Parliament to sit again.