KUALA LUMPUR – An air of similarity permeates both supposedly opposing coalitions when statements issued by Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan were in unison, calling for the prime minister and his cabinet to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to reconvene Parliament soon.
Noticeably, the statements issued by BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PH chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mirrored each other in pressuring Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to allow for a parliamentary sitting following the Agong’s decree earlier that the Dewan Rakyat may convene during a state of emergency.
Comptroller of the Royal Household Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, in a February 24 statement, announced that Istana Negara said the matter is enshrined in sub-paragraph 14(1)(b) of the Emergency Ordinance (Essential Powers) 2021, which states that Parliament shall be called, prorogated and dissolved on a date deemed suitable by the Agong and on the advice of the prime minister.
Zahid and Anwar also took to task Law Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan for insisting that Parliament will only reconvene in August after the emergency. They regarded the PAS minister’s statement as a challenge against His Majesty and an insult to the constitutional monarchy.
Takiyuddin said calling a Parliament sitting must follow the cabinet’s decision, and the cabinet will not push for it until the emergency ends on August 1.
Additionally, Zahid and Anwar, who are the presidents of Umno and PKR, respectively, said the federal constitution must be upheld to enable Parliament to play its role in ensuring checks and balances.
The similarities between their statements are uncanny, with the first and last paragraphs seemingly having been copied from either leader.
The BN statement’s first paragraph is as follow:
“Barisan Nasional menjunjung kasih titah KDYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong pada 24 Februari 2021 di mana Yang di-Pertuan Agong telah menzahirkan pandangan bahawa Dewan Rakyat boleh bersidang semasa tempoh darurat berkuatkuasa pada suatu tarikh yang difikirkan sesuai oleh Duli Tunaku atas nasihat YAB Perdana Menteri.”
PH’s first paragraph reads:
“Ahli-ahli Dewan Rakyat Pakatan Harapan menjunjung kasih titah KDYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong pada 24 Februari 2021 di mana Yang di-Pertuan Agong telah menzahirkan pandangan bahawa Dewan Rakyat boleh bersidang semasa tempoh darurat berkuatkuasa pada suatu tarikh yang difikirkan sesuai oleh Duli Tuanku atas nasihat YAB Perdana Menteri.”
The last paragraph of both statements is almost word for word, with only minimal changes.
BN’s last paragraph reads:
“Sementalahan itu, saya juga turut menzahirkan penghargaan kepada pihak kerajaan dalam merealisasikan Program Imunisasi Covid-19 Kebangsaan dan kepada para wira-wirawati petugas barisan hadapan dalam pengorbanan yang dicurahkan tanpa mengira masa dan penat dalam memerangi wabak Covid-19.”
PH’s, meanwhile, goes:
“Sementalahan itu, pihak kami juga turut menzahirkan penghargaan kepada pihak kerajaan dalam merealisasikan Program Imunisasi Covid-19 Kebangsaan dan kepada para wira-wirawati petugas barisan hadapan dalam pengorbanan yang dicurahkan tanpa mengira masa dan penat dalam memerangi wabak Covid-19.”
In a list of demands dictated in the respective statements, both said Parliament needs to discuss issues, such as the emergency ordinance, effectiveness of Covid-19 mitigation plans, implementation of Budget 2021, economic recovery, as well as the need for political stability, among others.
Talk of a probable merger between the Umno-led BN and PH, headed by Anwar, has been abuzz since September 23 last year, when Anwar announced that he commanded the majority in the Dewan Rakyat and was about to form a Malay-Muslim-majority government.
He was prevented from showing his numbers following the Agong’s hospitalisation. He is waiting for another date from the palace to see the king.
This meeting is expected to see His Majesty seeking confirmation that the earlier statutory declarations signed by Umno leaders and MPs in support of Anwar are still valid. It is understood that at least 22 Umno MPs have signed SDs, which effectively means the Muhyiddin administration has collapsed.
The crossing over of PKR and DAP MPs, as well as independents, to support Bersatu may not be enough to keep Muhyiddin in power. Of the 222 seats in Parliament, only 220 are available, as two MPs have died.
With the crossover of PKR’s Julau MP Larry Sng and Steven Choong (Tebrau) last week, Muhyiddin claimed 111 seats, but this is inclusive of Umno’s 35. And with Umno declaring that it is leaving the partnership, albeit supporting Muhyiddin’s administration, it begs the question of what will happen if Parliament is reconvened and a vote of confidence held.
All that the prime minister needs to do to end the impasse, the politicking and the uncertainty, which is compounding the coronavirus-hit economy, is allow his fate to be decided in Parliament.
It is the most legal, moral and logical way of deciding the nation’s leadership once and for all. – The Vibes, March 5, 2021
