KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang today said it was irresponsible for anyone to create a political crisis in Malaysia when the whole world is grappling with the deadly Covid-19 outbreak.

The Iskandar Puteri MP said instead of focusing on mitigating the effect of the virus, Malaysia is being distracted by its political problems.

"It is the height of irresponsibility to create a political crisis in Malaysia in the midst of a global coronavirus crisis.

"The artificial political crisis must be resolved in the shortest time possible, and those responsible for creating the political crisis in the midst of an ongoing global coronavirus crisis must be condemned by all Malaysians,” he said in a statement today.

Lim said that the nation has to bear the burden caused by irresponsible political leaders who are prepared to risk great damages to the country just to play their political games.

He is ostensibly referring to the current impasse caused by several splits in party loyalties over the last week which saw, among other things, the prime minister resigning, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) leaving the Pakatan Harapan government coalition, a faction from PKR leaving the party, and the eventual collapse of the Cabinet and current vacuum in the government.

Lim said the focus should be on restoration of the Pakatan Harapan government which had earned the people’s mandate in the last general election (GE14) to reset nation-building policies for Malaysia.

He said that the coalition, with DAP, PKR and Amanah, was still set on its principles to implement institutional and political reforms, spur economic growth and reduce the people’s burden, create an inclusive, moderate nation that was respectable on the global platform and reinstate Sabah and Sarawak’s rights as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963.