KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — De facto law minister Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan shot down today the Opposition’s call for a full Parliament sitting on May 18, and in a stinging response called it premature, narrow and failing to grasp priorities.
The decision to limit the May 18 proceeding to table a Supplementary Bill for the Covid-19 stimulus package was grounded on ‘reality”, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said in a statement, citing the authorities’ efforts to rein in the coronavirus outbreak.
“The government’s ruling was based on reality and current developments, especially involving efforts to contain and eliminate Covid-19 as well as the immediate and crucial measures to assist the public weather the outbreak’s short term effects,” he said in a statement.
The Pakatan Harapan coalition is pushing to extend the May 18 sitting for at least two days, and have sought a meeting with Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof in a bid to expedite the request.
The opposition coalition’s leaders have lambasted the Perikatan Nasional government’s move to limit the proceeding to a mere day as absurd, saying more time would be needed to debate the government’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, especially on the RM260 billion stimulus packages.
The bloc also alleged that holding a single day sitting breached Parliamentary rules.
But Takiyuddin was adamant that the decision was legal.
“The decision was also based on regulations and the rule of law taking into account necessity, views and sentiment of all parties be it through official or otherwise, formal or informal channels,” he said.
The PAS Kota Baru MP also insisted that security was paramount and that any decision made be it controversial was done in the best interest of the MPs themselves, citing health concerns.
“In the context of the upcoming Parliament sitting, to the government, the utmost importance is the health and safety of all of those involved with the proceeding,” he said.
“At a time when we are nearly succeeding in containing the outbreak with our current approach, the government does not want to risk undoing it.”
But in several democracies around the world, strict social distancing measures have not prevented lawmakers from holding their respective legislative assemblies.
Some PH leaders like DAP’s Lim Kit Siang have also suggested that Parliament convene either virtually or via a large scale teleconference, but the suggestion has so far fallen on deaf ears.
Meanwhile Takiyuddin said any official decision is based on the advice of the Ministry of Health and “other relevant experts”.
Yesterday Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was coy when asked if the nation was ready to reopen, even as the number of infections have dwindled for the past few days and governments around the world have begun to loosen some restrictions.
He said the authorities must not “ease up” since the number of active cases remain high, at above 1,000.
The government has extended the movement control order for another two weeks, without indicating any plan to loosen some restrictions even as it lengthens the partial lockdown to nearly two months.
