KUALA LUMPUR – An Umno lawmaker has questioned the government’s jurisdiction to act beyond existing provisions now that the emergency ordinances have been revoked.
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Noh Omar (Tg Karang-BN) said the ordinances had previously allowed the government to impose new rules and regulations that would have otherwise not been within its powers.
Among other things, he said emergency laws provided the government authority to take over private hospitals and facilities, as well as impose a maximum fee for Covid-19 testing.
“A number of ordinances have been introduced (since the proclamation of emergency). If they are revoked, is the Health Ministry ready to address these issues?
“We know that one of the reasons the emergency was proclaimed was to allow ordinances to be promulgated and implemented with immediate effect.
“Now that they (ordinances) have ended in such a manner that caught us all by surprise, what is your preparation?” he asked.
In a surprise announcement in Parliament yesterday, Law Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said all the ordinances had been revoked effective July 21.
This sparked an uproar in the Dewan Rakyat, with MPs questioning the legality of the decision, which supposedly was done without the blessing of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, while others queried the implication of ordinances being enforced after the date of revocation.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in declaring the emergency earlier this year, had said the move was necessary to allow the government jurisdiction to introduce ordinances that permit it to take control of private facilities.
On a separate issue, Noh suggested that the government introduce a Covid-19 testing passport that will allow individuals who are confirmed negative for the virus to travel interstate to work, regardless of sectors.
The Umno lawmaker proposed that this be implemented in place of the current standard operating procedures, which see the International Trade and Industry Ministry providing approval only to certain essential sectors.
“Perhaps once you have taken the RTK-Ag test, you can be allowed to enter your workplaces. If we follow the ministry, they are just thinking of the factories.
“We must not just think about factories. What about hotels, small and medium businesses, hawkers, how can they operate? With this passport, we can also integrate it with MySejahtera,” he said, suggesting that individuals be required to get tested every week.
To reduce the burden of testing costs, Noh said the government should subsidise half, while B40 individuals should be allowed to be tested for free. – The Vibes, July 27, 2021
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