KUALA LUMPUR – The government will consider seeking another audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to gain approval for emergency orders if the need arises, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law) Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan.
He said Putrajaya will seek consent from Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah for such a proclamation, if necessary, ahead of the Batu Sapi by-election on December 5 and Sarawak polls slated for next year.
He referred to Article 150 of the federal constitution, where “it is clear” that the Agong has the authority to proclaim an emergency for the whole of the country or “any part thereof”.
“As the people know, the government recently advised the Agong to invoke Article 150 and declare an emergency based on more than 20 reasons laid out by the cabinet.”
However, Takiyuddin did not detail the 20 reasons.
He was responding to a supplementary question by Hassan Abdul Karim (Pasir Gudang-PH), who asked whether the government will propose an emergency in Sabah’s Batu Sapi and Sarawak.
“The root of it (proposal) is in the constitution, which provides for it (emergency),” said the minister. – The Vibes, November 5, 2020
