THE premise underlying the need for emergency powers is simple. We do not have to be rocket scientists to know or understand the law, situation or need for such declarations.
Once the government’s existing powers are simply insufficient in a crisis, any government will consider the imposition of an emergency, in whichever form that suits the situation. But is Malaysia facing a crisis of such a gargantuan nature? Far from it.
Having the daily Covid-19 tally averaging at 700 cases (we passed the 1,000 mark yesterday) cannot be cited as a reason to bring the nation down to its knees by declaring an emergency. Look at the global situation; we hardly see any country with similar numbers resorting to this measure, which is a draconian move in my opinion.
Okay, some argue that we need tougher laws to tackle the recent spike in Covid-19 cases. What tougher laws? What we have under the existing Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 provides extensive powers to the Health Ministry and National Security Council to implement tough measures.
They are already doing it now, although there is an urgent need to brush up their act in terms of prior consultation with stakeholders. And, ensure that there are absolutely no double standards in the implementation of the law.
There is no reason to believe that amending laws to provide greater powers to act in the current pandemic cannot be done. MPs from both sides of the divide are mature enough to understand the need to toughen certain rules and regulations to handle the virus crisis.
Emergency powers are meant to give the government a temporary boost until the emergency passes or there is time to change the law through normal legislative processes. There is no situation now that is so grave to prevent this from happening.
Is this a genuine attempt to help the rakyat or is it being used recklessly by the regime, in particular Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his core supporters, to cling on to power? Especially knowing that heaps of no-confidence motions have been filed against him ahead of the next parliamentary sitting that begins on November 2?
As we all know, the federal constitution permits the proclamation of an emergency when the king is satisfied that there is a grave emergency, and the gravity of the emergency is such that it threatens the security or economic life or public order in the Federation, or any part of it.
We have no such thing!
Sure, we have a grave situation, but it is one where the prime minister is facing a serious emergency with regard to his position, which some say might be lost in Parliament soon. His group of supporters will obviously deny this, but everyone knows that this likelihood looms despite Umno calling for a political ceasefire until further notice.
Many also know that there is just too huge a trust deficit among the partners in the ruling pact, especially between Umno and Bersatu. Obviously, Muhyiddin would not want to take any chances in Parliament.
While Malaysians are, rightly or otherwise, blaming politicians for the imbroglio that we are forced to grapple with today, there is only one person who has led us all through this political tunnel of uncertainty.
Yes, it is former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the man who failed to keep the solemn promise he made in the rallies before the 14th general election, to hand over power to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in return for PKR’s support for his nomination as prime minister.
Apparently, Anwar had his qualms, but decided to look at the big picture – to bring down a kleptocrat.
In hindsight, Dr Mahathir expected his party then, Bersatu, to win more seats than PKR, an excuse that he could use to deny Anwar the position. Unfortunately for him, PKR won the most seats for the then government, and Bersatu did not get even a third of this. Dr Mahathir went on to make more promises after being appointed prime minister, but as many had suspected, they were all empty.
He made another major blunder when he groomed Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali to work against Anwar and weaken PKR by bringing a group of MPs into Bersatu. The “Sheraton Move” subsequently saw the fall of Pakatan Harapan.
Dr Mahathir then resigned as prime minister without consulting his PH partners, but continued to vie for the top job when the king called in MPs to ascertain which among them commanded majority support. The rest is history.
So, the one man behind the mess we are in is Dr Mahathir, whose dishonesty and obsession with preventing Anwar from becoming prime minister at any cost are the reasons why the nation is struggling and losing its lustre. It appears this was what paved the way for the destruction of democracy, where the losers in GE14 are occupying the seat of power.
If only he had kept his word and shown gratitude to Anwar for allowing him to become prime minister again, instead of conspiring to weaken PKR, the Malaysian story would be different today. We would not be heading south.
You owe the nation another apology, Dr Mahathir. – The Vibes, October 25, 2020
K. Parkaran is a veteran journalist who has served in both local and international news organisations
