Mat Sabu decries 'insulting' treatment of opposition

 

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu today decried what he claimed was an insulting treatment of the opposition by Parliament officials.

Mohamad (above) claimed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who chaired a briefing for opposition MPs at Parliament today, was snubbed.

He added that Parliament also provided a room which size made it difficult to abide by the standard operating procedures (SOPs) against Covid-19.

The gathering was a symbolic move by the opposition amid the government's refusal to lift the suspension of Parliament during the emergency.

"When Anwar, (DAP secretary-general) Lim Guan Eng and I met with Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun (on March 4), we were given good treatment and he gave a verbal promise to facilitate the opposition's meeting in Parliament.

"But today (March 22), when the opposition leader led opposition MPs to attend a meeting in Parliament, he was treated with insult," the Kota Raja MP said in a statement.

Mohamad said the office of the opposition leader should be respected.

"It is not about whether it is Anwar Ibrahim or the Pakatan Harapan chairperson. But he is the opposition leader and those present are MPs who should be respected in the democratic process," he said.

Earlier, Anwar said he had also requested a larger hall to allow for SOP compliance but was instead given a smaller room.

"I ask for a larger space - the banquet hall, as it is large and there were many MPs, but the speaker only gave a small room that became crowded despite trying to abide by the SOP," he said.

Anwar said during the meeting, they had discussed the national vaccination programme and the SOPs set by the National Security Council.

"The meeting also touched on the economy, current affairs and also the call for the suspension of Parliament to be lifted...," he said.

The opposition ended the meeting with a statement as they unfurled a banner calling for the emergency to be lifted and Parliament restored.

The government said the emergency, which came into force on Jan 11, was necessary to combat the Covid-19 pandemic but critics accused the government of trying to cling to power.

The emergency is set to expire in August.

 - Mkini