'PN priorities are GLC positions now but no new Covid-19 laws until Sept'

Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii has criticised the PN government's plan to only table laws to cushion the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic at the next Dewan Rakyat sitting which will not sit until July.

Furthermore, he said the laws passed by the Dewan Rakyat must subsequently be passed by the Dewan Negara which won't be sitting until September.

This means no bills related to Covid-19 relief measures can become law until the end of September or early October at the earliest.

The DAP lawmaker added the delay was prolonged after Putrajaya limited the first Parliament sitting of this year on May 18 to only day only and refused to allow any debate.

The sitting only heard the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong's address to comply with constitutional requirements that say the House must convene at least once every six months.

"Only yesterday, the (de facto) law minister Takiyuddin Hassan announced the government's intention to table laws to cushion the economic impact on the people due to Covid-19.

"This is why I feel the current government has got its priorities wrong.

"While they were busy filling up government-linked companies (GLCs) and special envoy posts for political rewards, they have deliberately avoided Parliament even though many important laws for Covid-19 need to the passed," he said.

Yii said this means Malaysians will face the Covid-19 pandemic for more than half-a-year without new laws to assist them.

"That whole period, of almost a year, our people have no legal protection over the economic impact of Covid-19. The impact of this disease will not wait for no one especially a government that is slow to react.

"In Singapore, as early as early April 2020, the government passed a Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act which protects an individual from the economic impact of the virus," he said.

He said among the laws introduced by the Singapore government was to protect small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that cannot fulfil their contractual obligations, postponing bankruptcy proceedings and protecting tenants from eviction," he said.

"All these and many other laws are so important during this period. This is not only a health crisis but will also be an economic crisis for many.

"While the Ministry of Health has done a good job to control the spread of the disease, but it seems the other parts of government are slow to protect people from the economic impact of the virus," he said.

The opposition has submitted a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and has accused the government of manoeuvring to prevent the motion from going to the floor.

Based on the May 18 sitting, Muhyiddin appears to have a razor-thin majority of two seats.

The Pakatan Harapan government collapsed in late February after Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin took his party out of the coalition to join forces with a group of PKR defectors led by Gombak MP Azmin Ali.

Together, they formed the new Perikatan Nasional government with BN, PAS, GPS, PBS and Star. - Mkini