KUALA LUMPUR:The decision to hold a general election during the current third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is dangerous, said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The Langkawi Member of Parliament said the current government should take appropriate lessons on the impact of the Sabah State Election for the whole country.

He added that it would be better if the government and all parties remain patient while waiting for a vaccine that is truly effective for the people.

“We have seen what happened in Sabah when the State Election was held. Before the election, the number of new cases in Malaysia has dropped to only one (digit). But when we go to Sabah, we have meetings, campaigns, all sorts of things ... that number has increased to 1,200.

"This shows that elections are very dangerous at this time. That is why we need to wait for a while so that we can get…for example, an effective vaccine and can reduce the infections," he said in an 'Exclusive With Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad' interview on Astro AWANI tonight.

In a joint statement yesterday, 20 members of the government administration from Barisan Nasional expressed full support for the leadership of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in implementing the economic and health recovery plan for the people.

However, they are of the opinion that the General Election should be held immediately, as soon as the state of public health allows for a clear mandate of the people to ensure better government stability.

Commenting further, Dr Mahathir said, the question of the health and life of the people should be given consideration and priority by the current government, before taking any steps to hold elections.

"And we care about human life. Let us not prioritize politics till we do not care whether people will be killed or not. That is why we take into account not only the time, we also need to consider the impact on the health of Malaysians," he added.