On January 12, Malaysia's king declared a state of emergency until August 1 in the wake of a spike in COVID-19 infections to a record 3000 new infections a day. However, many Malaysians suspect that this has little to do with addressing the pandemic and more to do with extending the life of the minority government under PM Muhyiddin Yassin. Green Left spoke to Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) Deputy Chairperson S. Arutchelvan (better known as Arul).