KUALA LUMPUR – Parliamentarians may push for voting on certain emergency ordinances during the special sittings of the Dewan Rakyat that start tomorrow, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said.
Despite the government’s move to exclude debates and voting during the week-long meeting, Ahmad warned that the state of emergency, which was declared on January 12, could be prolonged for another six months if it is not debated or rejected.
“There is a possibility that MPs will push for votes on certain ordinances to be tabled and debated,” he said.
Ahmad, who is Pontian MP and a former deputy minister, said this during a talk organised by Umno Online streamed live on Facebook this evening. The talk was moderated by Datuk Noor Azizan Abd Majid.
Ahmad said this is necessary so the government abides by Article 150(3) of the federal constitution, which stipulates that proclamations and ordinances for an emergency must be tabled in both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara.
He added that Article 150(3) of the constitution also allows for the ordinances to be revoked or rejected.
“So if we stand up (to insist on voting), we can select which (ordinances) we want to reject,” he said, citing as an example that other government decisions, such as using funds from the National Trust Fund (KWAN), would then not be approved easily.
He added that the fake news ordinance would also need to be debated as the maximum six-month prison sentence and RM500,000 fine involved are too high.
Ahmad also said parliamentarians want to know how many people have been arrested under the fake news law.
“So these matters are important for us to debate to see whether they would be approved,” he said.
“If the ordinances are not stopped by voting, they will go on for another six months. This is enshrined in Article 150(7) of the constitution... which means that if the ordinances are not stopped, they will be enforced for another six months.”
Ahmad said the government would not only be violating the constitution if the ordinances are not allowed to be debated; it would also risk going against the king’s decree on the matter.
“The Yang di-Pertuan Agong had asked for the ordinances to be debated in Parliament,” he said.
“Later, the Conference of Rulers, in a media statement, said there was no need for the emergency to extend beyond August 1,” he stressed.
Additionally, Ahmad pointed out that Umno has decided any of its MPs who hold government positions must resign from their posts if the emergency continues to be enforced beyond August.
‘Emergency a political ploy, failing to contain Covid-19’
Following an Umno Supreme Council meeting on July 7, party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had expressed the party leadership’s view that the government has abused the emergency declaration for political purposes, affecting Malaysians and the nation’s economy.
Zahid said Putrajaya has failed to uphold parliamentary democracy, and has instead eroded the check-and-balance mechanism meant to ensure the people’s voices are heard.
He also accused the government of trivialising the king and Malay rulers’ decrees, resulting in the royals’ repeated statements that a Parliament sitting must take place.
“Umno will not compromise with the government’s insolence towards the royal institution,” Zahid had said.
He told the party’s MPs that they must push for the emergency proclamation and related ordinances to be debated and repealed.
In a statement, Zahid said the emergency and its related ordinances “clearly” burden the people and affect the economy, while implementing “excessive” compounds on the people feed into “double standards”.
Zahid also said the emergency has failed to contain and tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, and is being used as a political ploy that undermines the country’s parliamentary democracy.
He said apart from allowing debate, Article 150(3) of the constitution also calls for Parliament to determine the legitimacy of the emergency and its related ordinances.
Zahid warned that a six-month extension of the emergency goes against the Umno Supreme Council’s decisions on the matter, adding the advice of the king and Council of Rulers on not extending the emergency must be upheld.
He added Umno MPs must abide by the decision made by the party on April 25 this year, in which its parliamentarians who are ministers, deputy ministers, and chairmen of government-linked companies, must resign. – The Vibes, July 25, 2021
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