KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — Leaders of state governments governed by Pakatan Harapan have today questioned the effectiveness of the Emergency declaration, saying that until today there has been no improvement on the Covid-19 situation in their respective states.
Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said until today the public is still waiting for specific measures taken by the federal government.
“The proclamation of Emergency was announced since January 11, but until today the public is still waiting for actions to be taken.
“But nothing has been done, the cases keep going up, the public is getting tired.
“What’s the benefit of the Emergency? The public still don’t see it,” he said during a dialogue with his counterparts in Selangor and Penang, moderated by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
At the state government level, Aminuddin said it is still waiting for an explanation to the suspension of the State Legislative Assemblies.
“We are waiting for explanation to what caused State Legislative Assemblies to be suspended when it is important for us to meet to update what is ongoing with the pandemic and how to address certain issues.
“But what we see is only a conditional movement control order, where SOPs (standard operating procedures) are either tightened or loosened,” he said.
He also raised concerns of unfairness where the proclamation of Emergency has allowed for higher fines on SOP noncompliance offences.
“I don’t think this is fair, when the ordinary public are already burdened [with deteriorating economy], they will be further affected by this.
“I don’t see a special committee convening. Have they met? Have they decided on something? People are waiting,” he added.
In Penang, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said until now there is no justification to convince the public on why Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies needed to be halted.
“What is the effective of this move in terms of addressing the Covid-19 pandemic, apart from it being used to address the ‘pandemic’ Parliament majority support?
“Don’t waste the Emergency, because it must help us to win the war against Covid-19, otherwise it will just go to waste and just a move to ensure power sustenance,” said Chow.
He added that his state government has proposed many kinds of collaboration with the federal government, but to no avail and instead they have been faced with excuses of “red tape” which will cause waste of precious time.
One of the suggestions raised by Chow is a proposal to conduct pool testing for factory workers.
He said that when the method was present to the Health director-general, it was a long wait until they had to get an exemption letter.
“With the pool testing, it can save cost, up to RM70, and save time.
“We are still waiting... if the exemption letter is issued then we can expand this test method to all factory workers,” said Chow.
Meanwhile in Selangor, the state government has taken matters into their own hands by setting up community quarantine centres as opposed to the Health Ministry’s home quarantine.
Its Mentri Besar Aminudin Shari said by utilising state government funds, it is planning to set up quarantine centres located in closer proximity to patient’s homes.
“Selangor will identify suitable locations that could be made into temporary quarantine centres so that they don’t have to go so far like to MAEPS and so that those quarantined can be closer to their family.
“Not all homes can observe their own home quarantine especially if they are public housing projects and have hardly any space to observe physical distancing,” Amirudin said.
On January 12, non-governmental organisations criticised the proclamation of Emergency to suspend legislatures and elections in Malaysia as excessive and possibly abusive.
On January 26, Anwar had also filed for leave to initiate a judicial review over the government’s decision to seek for an emergency proclamation.
The application is to seek a declaration from the court that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s advice to the Yang-Di Pertuan Agong for an emergency proclamation was unconstitutional and unlawful.
