KOTA KINABALU – Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s move to advise the Agong to issue the proclamation of emergency is politically motivated, said Sabah opposition leader Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
Shafie said there were sufficient existing laws to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“If there is a need to amend the federal constitution to avoid the Sarawak election or any by-election during a pandemic, the Perikatan Nasional government should negotiate with the opposition to reach a two-thirds majority to do so.
“If there is a need to legislate measures for Covid-19 pandemic, the government should negotiate with the opposition instead of declaring a state of emergency. Political leaders from both sides of Parliament would have agreed on a ceasefire on not to call for a general election.
“The emergency rule should be ended so that parliamentary democracy can be restored in the shortest possible time with a negotiated peace among political leaders to avoid a general election until the end of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
The former Sabah chief minister said the emergency was not suitable to address Covid-19’s spread in the country because the movement control order was available and feasible.
He said the ruling could lead to the abuse of power and was therefore unnecessary, adding that it can only be made during the presence of a potentially grave and imminent threat, or emergency to national security, national economic life, and public order.
“The fact that the PN government proceeded to implement the MCO, CMCO, and RMCO last year speaks volumes on the absence of any ‘grave’ and ‘imminent’ threat to the nation.
“Countries that implemented restrictions on population movement similar to Malaysia’s MCO have been successful in curbing the spread of Covid-19 – such as Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Germany, Norway, and Spain in Europe.”
Shafie also said that under the emergency, debates on policies and legislation affecting the nation or the individual states would no longer be the “prerogative of those august houses” until August 1, 2021.
He said this would render Parliament and the state legislative assemblies redundant.
“Such rules can also be abused to abrogate or limit the constitutional fundamental rights and liberties of individuals in the country,” said Shafie, adding that it is also a signal that Malaysia does not have a stable government.
He said it would not look good to foreign investors.
Shafie said local business communities had already suffered as a result of restrictions due to the coronavirus, with many losing their livelihoods and businesses, and hotels being forced to close down.
Shafie urged the minority federal government to hit the reset button and do the right thing. – The Vibes, January 14, 2020
