JOHOR BARU, March 23 — A Johor Opposition federal lawmaker claimed that the government is now in a panic after the Dewan Rakyat rejected a motion to extend the enforcement of a sub-section of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012.
PKR’s Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim said the government was caught by surprise by the unexpected turn of events this afternoon.
He said this was evident earlier in the morning where Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of law Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin tabled a motion under Standing Order 12 (1) that today’s sitting of the Dewan Rakyat would not be adjourned until the home minister’s motion and Bill were tabled and decided.
“However, as soon as the government failed in its bid as brought by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, almost immediately Mas Ermieyati got up to table a motion to postpone the Second and Third Reading for the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2022 which was slated in the Order Paper for today’s agenda.
“It is clear that the government is very afraid after today that it will fail again in the tabling of the Federal Constitution Amendment Bill which requires the approval of two-thirds of the Dewan Rakyat members,” said Hassan.
He was commenting on the failure by backbenchers to table the motion to extend the enforcement of sub-section 4(5) of the Sosma 2012 in the Dewan Rakyat earlier.
Through a bloc vote called by the Opposition bloc, a total of 86 Opposition MPs voted against the extension versus 84 from the ruling bloc who supported it. A total of 50 MPs were not present in today’s sitting.
Hassan, a seasoned lawyer and activist, also noted that this was Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s first defeat as the prime minister in Parliament.
“This defeat does not force the home minister or even the prime minister to resign. The government will also not ask for Parliament to be dissolved.
“However, this should not stop the home minister from taking the moral responsibility by resigning for his failure to obtain the Dewan Rakyat’s support for an important security-related motion, namely Sosma,” he said.
Hassan pointed out that it may be by coincidence, perhaps unplanned, that three important MPs on the government’s side were absent from Parliament during the voting.
He said that they were Pekan MP Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Bagan Datuk MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Pagoh MP Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“If Najib, Ahmad Zahid and Muhyiddin were present in the Dewan Rakyat this afternoon and voted in support of the motion, it is certain that Ismail Sabri’s government would not have suffered such a defeat,” said Hassan.
The motion proposed earlier in Dewan Rakyat sought an extension of enforcement of the 28-day detention period under Sub-section 4(5) of Sosma for another five years starting from July 31, 2022.
According to the law, sub-section 4(5), the 28-day detention period, must be reviewed every five years and will cease to have an effect unless both Houses of Parliament agree to extend the period.
Sub-section 4(5) was first enforced on July 31, 2012 and renewed for the first time in 2017.
