Add opposition, activists to bipartisan committee to ensure Agong well advised, say experts

KUALA LUMPUR – The independent bipartisan committee proposed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on Tuesday needs to comprise of experts from various fields to ensure the country can recover from the Covid-19 resurgence in a reasonable timeframe.
 
Former chief justice Tun Zaki Azmi said the panel must also include members of opposition parties.
 
"To obtain objective advice on the prevailing Covid-19 conditions, (we must include) medical and health experts who know the actual conditions, which will inevitably include health experts from the government as they are the only people who know the real conditions, who monitors the situation daily and collects statistics.
 
"Representatives of health frontliners can also give feedback on what they are facing. Lastly, the police and law enforcers need to be part of it too, as only they can tell whether the public are abiding by the rules, during and not during the emergency," he told The Vibes today.
 
Border enforcers, he added, must also be included in the proposed committee.
 
“We have not heard whether the government is enacting new emergency ordinances to provide more teeth to those protecting the borders.”
 
Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president Dr Muhammad Mohan, meanwhile, recommended a list of bipartisan representatives as part of the committee.
 
The list includes members of the ruling coalition; the opposition; human rights activists; members of the Human Rights Commission Malaysia (Suhakam), Malaysia Bar and TI-M; religious leaders; the police and army; and, the Health Ministry.
 
Muhammad said their feedback is important as the suspension of parliamentary democracy is a serious matter.
 
“The setting up of this bipartisan committee will reflect well on the government, showing that it sincerely wants to solve the Covid-19 problem and is involving stakeholders,” he told The Vibes.
 
The committee, he added, must have direct access to Health Ministry data, at least fortnightly, to assess the situation and provide sound advice to the government administration.
 
"The early restoration of parliamentary democracy is important for the image of our nation."
 
Meanwhile, Malaysia Bar president Salim Bashir echoed similar sentiments, stating that, additionally, representatives from the Attorney-General's Chambers, National Security Council and persons of eminence ought to be included in the committee as well.
 
Following the recent decree by the Agong and subsequent announcement by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on the setting up of an independent council, it is learnt the committee will comprise leaders from both sides of the political divide, health experts and relevant stakeholders.
 
The special bipartisan independent committee will advise the Agong on whether the emergency declaration can end earlier than its current date on August 1.
 
Today, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan confirmed that a letter has been delivered to opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, requesting three names to be included in the committee. – The Vibes, January 14, 2021