KUALA LUMPUR – Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azalina Othman Said has called for Parliament to reconvene, citing her frustration over unanswered questions posed to the attorney-general and law minister.
“It would seem that the suspension of Parliament has not only crippled democracy, but it has also crippled the capacity of the government officials of basic courtesy to respond to valid concerns raised by MPs beyond the walls of Dewan Rakyat.
“I write this out of utter frustration at the lack of response from my distinguished colleagues in the government. My questions to the attorney-general on the emasculation of Parliament and the minister of law have been left unanswered,” she said in a statement today.
“At the expense of sounding like a broken record, I see no other way for Malaysia to move forward in this state of emergency but for Parliament to reconvene.
“P/s, I had a chat with (Health Director-General) Tan Sri (Dr Noor) Hisham (Abdullah) recently, He has no objections to Parliament reconvening virtually.”
She also proposed several standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Parliament, seeing that “the government is fond of SOPs for citizens”.
Among them are:
– Ensure all Parliament staffers, including MPs and senators are vaccinated against Covid-19. For now, Parliament staffers are not considered frontliners, something Azalina said should be changed.
– Promulgate an ordinance for Parliament to reconvene without hearing motions of confidence until at least a herd immunity of 50% has been achieved.
– No general election but have an interim emergency government with an emergency cabinet with representation from all political parties.
– Invest in preparing for virtual Parliament sittings. Even Zoom provides polling options to facilitate voting processes.
– Enforce quorum requirements for in-person Parliamentary proceedings
– Use special select committees as an alternative to establish a transparent inquisitorial process and promote executive accountability, citing Shared Services Canada as an example
– Ensure fair allocation of constituency funds as a bipartisan tool to realign different political parties towards a common goal i.e. addressing the pandemic
– Allow MPs to “cross the floor” and equip them with necessary information to defend government strategies and alleviate the confidence crisis clouding the nation
– Bridge the trust deficit between the people and administrators by providing necessary health information on Covid-19.
“The government has locked down its people but must not lock down the process of democracy. By denying the rights of MPs to engage with the government in a meaningful manner, you are denying the rights of the people.
“When citizens are disconnected and angry, do not expect gratitude. A clear example is vaccine hesitancy and low uptake of vaccine registration, which is one of the many indicators that the government has lost the confidence of the people.
“It is unfathomable why Malaysia is unable to progress beyond emergency ordinances. Do we remain the only country in the world that has immobilised Parliament in times of crisis?”
The emergency proclamation is scheduled to expire on August 1. – The Vibes, May 27, 2021
