KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today challenged Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz to name another country that has suspended its Parliament for seven months.

Najib, who is Pekan MP, was responding to the senator’s recent comparison of Malaysia's Covid-19 situation to other countries which similarly declared a state of Emergency.

"Emergency in other countries meant that power was given to the government to exercise lockdown as they do not have Acts like us that could exercise lockdown without declaring a state of Emergency.

"Their Parliament was never suspended. Malaysia is the only county in the world that used Covid-19 to suspend Parliament," Najib said in a Facebook post today.

He said Tengku Zafrul’s comparison was inaccurate.

The finance minister yesterday said that Malaysia was only one of 80 countries, or almost half of the world, that proclaimed Emergency to battle Covid-19.

Najib suggested that Tengku Zafrul was less than "honest” in giving a full picture of the situation.

"Need to be honest, bro.

"Other countries would be losing out if they didn't suspend Parliament if this move indeed helps to strengthen the economy.

"It's not accurate to equate Malaysia with 80 other countries in the world which declared a state of Emergency," Najib added.

"It's easy, Tengku Zafrul. Name another country in the world that has suspended Parliament (not postponing) for seven months," he said.

Apart from making the comparison to other countries, Tengku Zafrul had assured that investors would not shy away and believed that investor confidence was still present.

He had also assured that the government would ensure checks and balances through the formation of a special independent taskforce consisting of representatives from the government and the Opposition as well as experts who could advise the King if the Emergency period could be ended.

On January 12, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong consented to the proclamation of the nationwide state of Emergency which would last up to August 1, a step taken to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.