Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination: A Jab at Fundamental Liberty or Crucial Injection to Public Health?

Written by Quek Yew Aun, third-year Bachelor of Jurisprudence student, University of Malaya.
Edited by Pravena Sreetharan.
​Reviewed by Ashley Khor Xin Hui, Ee Jie, and Celin Khoo Roong Teng.

The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a shadow on Malaysia’s growth and well-being for the past two years. Vaccinations have offered some light at the end of the tunnel — but is making it mandatory a step too far? This article explores the constitutionality of imposing mandatory vaccinations on the public.

I. INTRODUCTION
The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has been the primary focus of every Malaysian for the past two years now. Our everyday lives and the decisions governing them almost all but centred around the virus, or rather in trying to avoid it. With over 2,597,080 confirmed cases and 30,110 deaths as of 23rd November 2021,[1] it is evident that COVID-19 has wreaked havoc not only on our public healthcare system,[2] but also onto our economic and social frameworks.[3]
 
The future is unclear.

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