KUALA LUMPUR – Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin defended the decision by Putrajaya to revoke the emergency ordinances on July 21, as announced by Law Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan in Parliament last week.
Zuraida said the ordinances were both implemented and practised in accordance with the federal constitution, whereby the prime minister had met the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to present the proposals and the cabinet’s recommendations were conveyed to the latter.
The Ampang MP insisted that Takiyuddin did not make any mistake in announcing the revocation during the first day of the special parliamentary sitting last Monday.
“If you listen to him (Takiyuddin) carefully, he said nothing wrong with regard to the ordinances. He said the cabinet has revoked the ordinances on July 21; that was the cabinet’s decision. So, there is nothing wrong with that.”
She said this during an interview on Astro Awani’s “Consider This” segment titled “Constitutional Crisis Resolve?” hosted by anchors Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan yesterday evening.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had, in a strongly worded statement on Thursday, reprimanded Takiyuddin over his announcement on the emergency proclamation and its ordinances, saying it was “inaccurate” and had “misled lawmakers in the Dewan Rakyat”.
Comptroller of the Royal Household Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin had in the statement said the revocation had yet to be given royal assent.
Later the same day, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued a statement saying that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had presented the cabinet’s advice and clarification to the king during an audience on July 27.
It said the cabinet advised His Majesty to revoke the ordinances before the special sitting started.
The PMO also cited Article 40(1) of the federal constitution that the king must act according to the advice of the cabinet.
Asked about her thoughts on the statement from the palace, Zuraida said as a minister, she had witnessed and understood the process that the government went through to revoke the ordinances.
“It is a constitutional monarchy, where you have to get the advice from the cabinet and prime minister in anything that you want to do,” she said, referring to the palace and officials.
“I was a bit upset (over the statement). If there is anything that was not clear, they (palace) should call the prime minister, and the latter did this (clarify) once a week before the cabinet (meetings), (which is) to brief (the palace on) what is happening and there can be clarification.”
She said there should not be any kind of public statement, as that is “not proper in this constitutional monarchy system”.
The monarch’s legal adviser, who “is very much careful” in interpreting the constitution, knows that if the monarch does not agree to the revocation, the matter will be “resolved” in 30 days after the cabinet decided to do so, or it will be extended for another six months.
“It is a waste of time to argue on this, when we know it will end up (with) something that is up to the government and cabinet to decide, and the monarch has to listen.
“If he needs the clarification, we (will) clarify with him to his satisfaction. So, that should be the way.”
“70 Covid-19 cases in Parliament”
On the postponement of proceedings, Zuraida said there are 70 Covid-19 cases – not just 11, as reported – that have been detected in the compound of Parliament in recent weeks, claiming that the opposition were informed of 53 cases on July 26.
However, the opposition insisted on keeping the House open, which led to the speaker carrying on with the sitting, she added.
She also slammed the opposition leaders who protested outside Parliament yesterday to prove that the government has failed.
“I am telling you the world has failed. If they (opposition) think they are so smart, they should correct the world then. Do not talk about Malaysia.
“They should read the statement and see the scientific aspects of the decision that we made to ensure this coronavirus does not become another cluster in Parliament.
“So, therefore, with 70 cases it is justified for us to lock down Parliament.” – The Vibes, August 3, 2021
