KUALA LUMPUR – Calls for embattled Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his entire cabinet to step down following recent blunders, including over the premature dismantling of emergency laws, are gaining momentum, with MPs from the newly formed opposition party Pejuang the latest to join in.
Its four lawmakers insist that the prime minister and his ministers have violated the principles of parliamentary democracy and insulted the Yang di-Pertuan Agong when they chose to retroactively revoke the emergency ordinances last Monday without royal assent.
“Only by this way (resignation) can the prolonged political turmoil end, and focus can then be given fully to the efforts to address the health, economic, and social issues plaguing the country for the past 17 months,” the MPs said today.
The statement was jointly signed by party chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Langkawi), Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (Jerlun), Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah (Kubang Pasu) and Datuk Shahruddin Md Salleh (Sri Gading).
Their assertion comes on the back of an exchange between the Muhyiddin-led government and Istana Negara over the revocation of the ordinances.
In a surprise announcement last Monday, Law Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan had said that the government had already revoked the emergency legislations on July 21, prompting MPs to question if the matter was consented to by the Yang di-Pertian Agong.
In a statement on Thursday morning, the king issued a stern rebuke to the government over its decision, claiming the administration had misled Parliament and disrespected the monarch, as it was done without his assent.
The Prime Minister’s Office responded by saying the Agong was duly advised and that the federal constitution provides that His Majesty acts in accordance with the advice of the cabinet, adding that there is no need to debate the revocation in Parliament.
With pressure mounting on the government to answer all questions on the final day of the Dewan Rakyat’s special sitting which was scheduled for today, Muhyiddin ordered the house to be suspended until further notice, citing a Covid-19 outbreak and directive from the Health Ministry.
Opposition MPs staged a protest against the closure this morning.
The Pejuang MPs said that the statement issued by the Palace on Thursday clearly indicates that the revocation of ordinances did not get the blessing of the Agong, who had decreed for the matter to be tabled and debated in the house.
They added that the cabinet had breached Article 36(7) of the Dewan Rakyat Standing Order when the Agong’s name was used to influence the house when announcing the revocation. – The Vibes, August 2, 2021
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