BERSIH 2.0 welcomes the announcement yesterday by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on the reconvening of Parliament.
The announcement said that the Dewan Rakyat will sit for five days, from July 26 to 29 as well as August 2, while the Dewan Negara will sit for three days from August 3 to 5.
We humbly seek enlightenment from the PMO as many questions are unanswered in the three paragraph statement. These questions are as follows:
– Since no royal address is mentioned, is this considered the fourth meeting of the third Parliament session (2020)?
– When does the prime minister plan to convene the fourth session (2021), which must start with the royal address?
– While the emergency proclamation and related ordinances will be “laid before both houses of Parliament” as per Article 150(3), will MPs get to table and vote on resolutions to revoke any of them, such that they can cease to have effect immediately and not wait until their expiration six months after the end of the emergency as per Article 150(7)?
– Specifically, will Parliament be allowed to repeal Sections 10A and 10B of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021 which gives the federal and state governments unchecked power on financial matters? If not, will such unchecked power persist up to 1 February 2022, six months after the Emergency ends on 1 August 2021, as per Article 153(7)? Relatedly, will the government be ready to defend its EPF withdrawal policies and its decision to draw from the National Trust Fund to finance vaccination under the Emergency (National Trust Fund) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 and answer questions on the statutory debt ceiling and reveal details of 5G development?
– Specifically, will the government allow Parliament to repeal the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No 2) Ordinance 2021, which imposes sentences up to a fine of RM 500,000 and 6 years of imprisonment at the maximum for offences related to fake news, and suspends the Evidence Act 1950 (Act 56)? If not, will this draconian law continue to be in force until 1 February 2022, six months after the emergency proclamation ends on 1 August 2021, as per Article 150(7)?
– Will the National Recovery Plan be debated and voted by MPs, with amendments if necessary, or will this five-day session merely be a one-way briefing from the executive to opposition MPs and government backbenchers?
– Will Dewan Rakyat selection committee, which decides the number and membership of all other parliamentary committees, also be convened to meet a rising demand amongst Malaysians suffering from policy chaos, i.e. to establish more parliamentary special select committees so that every ministerial portfolio can be scrunitised to avoid policy blind spots, public backlashes and policy flip-flops?
We hope the cabinet’s meeting tomorrow will resolve to make the five-day parliamentary meeting a new start for a professional and effective Parliament, and not a cynical and perfunctory move to deflect the public’s demand while retaining Parliament as the executive’s rubber stamp. The public’s patience must not be tested. – The Vibes, July 6, 2021
Bersih 2.0 is a coalition of 88 NGOs campaigning for free and fair elections in Malaysia
