KUALA LUMPUR – Lawmakers should be allowed to debate, not just on the emergency and its ordinances, but on matters linked to the pandemic, vaccination, expenditure and the National Recovery Plan, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said in a letter to the Dewan Rakyat secretary.
In the letter shared by Anwar, he cited Standing Orders 26(1) and 27(3) when proposing the motion.
He is expected to propose that the emergency proclamation and ordinances failed to flatten the curve of Covid-19 cases, and that the national economy shows signs pointing to a failed state.
He will also propose that the economic situation of the people is so severe that the gap between the rich and poor has led to the creation of the B60 group.
Lastly, he said the House should honour the views of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Malay rulers in their statement on June 16 pointing to allowing debates to go on.
Just a week ago, Anwar slammed the five-day special parliamentary sitting as a form of deception by the Perikatan Nasional government.
He said there were no signs of open debates being allowed and five days was too short a time to scrutinise several emergency ordinances that were bulldozed forward by the government.
“I wish to remind the prime minister and government that, at a time when you are unstable, do not take advantage of the Dewan Rakyat speaker, who also needs to be reminded that we will not take the Covid-19 matter lightly,” Anwar had said in a video posted on his Facebook page on July 6.
He said Parliament must be utilised to hold debates, uphold the federal constitution, voice the aspirations of the people, and execute the roles and powers of government in line with the nation’s laws.
A day before, the Prime Minister’s Office announced the special five-day Dewan Rakyat sitting starting later this month, while the Dewan Negara will sit early next month.
It added that the government has agreed to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on a Dewan Rakyat sitting from July 26 to 29, and on August 2.
The Dewan Negara, meanwhile, will sit for three days from August 3 to 5. – The Vibes, July 13, 2021
