TANGKAK: The only way to stop the state election now is to declare an Emergency which I do not want to do, says Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

       The Prime Minister said that he did not want to have another Emergency just for Johor to stop this election.

       "What happens to the other states?

       "The Election Commission has already set the dates and the only way to stop this state election is to declare an Emergency which I do not intend to do," he said when asked about calls from Opposition leaders for the state polls to be delayed following an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

       He added that the Melaka election was also done during the pandemic but with strict SOPs.

       "I have told people we will no longer have any lockdowns whether in the state or across the districts.

       "We will only have targeted lockdowns in places with a high number of cases," he said after his one-day working visit to Muar and Ledang here on Friday (Feb 11).