So, ‘science and data’ says Covid-19 more dangerous in Parliament than cinemas, schools and pasar malam now, says Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak today mocked the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government that cited “science and data” as its justification to postpone Parliament sittings during the Emergency.

The former prime minister was responding to de facto law minister Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan’s earlier explanation on why the Cabinet had advised the Yang di-Pertuan Agong against reconvening the Dewan Rakyat sitting as scheduled this month.

“After more than a week, the PN government finally responded to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree on Parliament being allowed to reconvene during the Emergency.

“Among the main reasons why Parliament cannot be allowed until August 1 is science and data.

“Therefore many are disappointed in science in data which states that sessions held in the Dewan Rakyat is more dangerous than watching a movie in the cinema, students attending schools nationwide, visiting pasar malam, holding election preparatory meetings in hotels or organising events to accept SDs of defecting MPs,” Najib said on Facebook.

The Pekan MP was referring to viral photos that emerged online last Saturday showing Julau MP Larry Sng and Tebrau MP Steven Choong with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, whom they are now supporting after declaring their departure from PKR to be independents.

Takiyuddin had earlier said Parliament was not “suspended” as widely believed, but only “postponed” until August 1 as 100 out of the current 220 MPs fall are deemed to be high risk for Covid-19 because they are above 61 years of age.

He added that the decision was based on existing scientific and data findings and described the MPs as among Malaysia’s Covid-19 “frontliners”.