KUALA LUMPUR – PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has panned any attempts to seize the prime ministership and garner support for the measure as nonsensical and insensitive, given the country is under an emergency and facing a global pandemic.
In a veiled attack on opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Marang MP opined that debating over who is suitable for the post and attempting to have a parliamentary vote on the matter shows that the opposition is not sensitive to the plight of the people.
“Moves like this must be rejected. Any measures that can interfere with the work of dealing with the pandemic during this emergency must be dealt with strictly," he said during a webinar titled, ‘Emergency Proclamation: Is there a need?’ organised by Gerakan Pembela Ummah today.
Looking at the present state of the country, Hadi said the emergency proclamation was implemented to prevent the spread of Covid-19, thus saving human lives.
Disputes and power struggles, he added, should not take place in a situation where the country is facing the public health challenge.
Hadi’s comments came on the heels of Anwar, who is PKR president and Port Dickson MP, asserting yesterday that more than 114 parliamentarians, making up a majority of the present Dewan Rakyat lawmakers, have opposed the government’s move to secure an emergency.
“We have more than 114 or 115 MPs who have rejected the proposal by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin,” he reportedly said, stressing that the number is “undeniable”.
Anwar added that with the total number in hand, he intends to submit the rejections to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for his consideration over the government’s emergency proposal and to call for a special parliamentary sitting. – The Vibes, January 24, 2021