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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has asked Members of Parliament (MP) to write to the king and ask that the emergency proclamation be withdrawn and parliament convened as soon as possible.
In the statement on January 14 (Thursday), Anwar said that parliament should meet again by January 31 to discuss the state of emergency, COVID-19 and the current Malaysian economic crisis.
In a memorandum attached to MPs, he wrote: “I proposed that the honorable MPs present their appeals quickly before Friday. I have prepared a draft of the letter to be presented to His Majesty which may be amended according to your consideration or that of the party. “
On Tuesday, the King of Malaysia, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, declared a state of emergency across the country to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The emergency will last until Aug. 1 or earlier, depending on the status of coronavirus infections, a palace statement said.
“Parliament will not meet until a time determined by the king. During the duration of the state of emergency, no general elections, state elections or by-elections will be held,” Muhyiddin said in a live speech the same day.
The prime minister, however, added that the Cabinet, state executive councils and government services will continue to operate. An independent special committee would be formed under an ordinance to advise the king whether the emergency should be extended or ended sooner.
READ: There will be no parliamentary session or election during COVID-19 state of emergency, says Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin
In his memo to fellow MPs, Anwar, who is a Port Dickson MP and Chairman of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, stated that the current provisions were sufficient to stop the spread of COVID-19, including the Movement Control Order (MCO) and the conditional MCO (CMCO). ).
He said that an emergency is not necessary.
“The economic crisis is very worrying as unemployment, poverty and gaps increase. An emergency will surely make the state of the economy more dangerous,” he said.
OLS IS ENOUGH TO TREAT COVID-19: LIM GUAN ENG
Earlier on Thursday, Lim Guan Eng, who is a former finance minister and secretary general of the Democratic Action Party, said the closure of the MCO was deemed sufficient to cope with the rise in COVID-19 infections.
“How does suspending parliament and arming Muhyiddin with emergency powers help win the battle against COVID-19? There are no additional measures under emergency powers that are not already provided by existing laws or the MCO,” he said it’s a statement.
The Bagan deputy said that the king had not mentioned the suspension of parliament and state assemblies in the emergency decree. And although the decree declared that the emergency could end before August 1, this was not mentioned in the emergency proclamation signed by Muhyiddin, he added.
“Did Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin then exceed his authority?”
Former Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng sits with his supporters while meeting with the media in Penang on August 10, 2020 (Photo: AFP / Goh Chai Hin).
Lim claimed that “by suspending and silencing” the Malaysian parliament, the prime minister no longer had to fear that he had lost his parliamentary majority, which was reduced to 109 out of 220 MPs.
READ: What you need to know about the state of emergency and the hardening of COVID-19 sidewalks in Malaysia
Earlier, on January 9, United Malays National Organization (UMNO) deputy Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, representing the Machang constituency in Kelantan, announced his withdrawal from support for Mr. Muhyiddin. He had previously resigned from his position as Chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board.
This was followed by UMNO deputy Mohamed Nazri Aziz de Padang Rengas, who also publicly withdrew his support for Mr. Muhyiddin on 12 January.
The state of emergency was declared a day after the prime minister announced tougher restrictions, including a nationwide travel ban. Five states, including Penang, Selangor, Melaka, Johor and Sabah, and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan have been placed back under movement control order (MCO) from Wednesday to January 26.
On Wednesday, Malaysia reported 2,985 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national total to 144,518, while the number of active cases is 32,377.
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