GEORGE TOWN – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin needs to reassure the country that the state of emergency is only temporary, as uneasiness over the security ordinance heightens, said former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.
He told The Vibes it is also imperative that the prime minister assures Malaysians that the move is aimed primarily at curbing the Covid-19 pandemic.
“If the emergency order is to fight Covid-19, there is a token of acceptance, but there is worry of an ulterior motive. This causes uneasiness.”
Zaid said he would prefer if the emergency rule lasted only six months, which is enough time to stem the coronavirus threat.
“We want to go back to civilian rule as soon as possible.”
The emergency order is in place until August 1, unless an independent committee appointed to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the ordinance thinks otherwise.
“We’ll see the vaccine roll-out next month. We just need six months to sort out the pandemic. Let’s see how it unfolds,” said Zaid.
He added that the government should never cite political instability as a reason for the emergency.
The country has experienced emergency orders before, the last being during the tenure of former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, when there were racial riots that saw lives lost.
“If we cite politicians as reasons for an emergency, it looks like we will have emergencies all the time,” said Zaid.
“It is the role of politicians to be scheming and planning for power, as that is what they do. People become politicians because they want to serve, but to do it, they need power.”
Penang PKR vice-chairman Jason Ong Khan Lee said he is concerned that “an emergency status conceived by an unelected government may lead to widespread corruption because the checks and balances no longer exist”.
“Parliament is suspended. Our MPs cannot air their grievances in the august House.
“This may entice the corrupt to lord over the proceedings in the country.”
He said the various iterations of the movement control order were deemed effective last year to contain Covid-19, and should be replicated to ease the people’s anxiety over the current emergency rule. – The Vibes, January 16, 2021
