Constitutional crisis if no royal assent for revocation of EOs, says Kit Siang

 

Lim Kit Siang says Muhyiddin Yassin must make a statement in Parliament on what the government is doing to avert a constitutional crisis and to address the worsening pandemic.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia will face a major constitutional crisis if there is no royal assent and gazettement of the revocation of the six emergency ordinances, says Lim Kit Siang.

The DAP veteran said this would further distract the primary focus of preventing the country from having more than 1.5 million Covid-19 cases when Malaysia marks its 64th National Day on Aug 31.

In a statement today, Lim said there should also be a focus to prevent the country from reaching two million cases on the 58th Malaysia Day on Sept 16.

He said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin must make a ministerial statement in Parliament on what the Perikatan Nasional government was doing to prevent the country from suffering such a “double whammy” – a major constitutional crisis and a worsening pandemic.

He noted that Malaysia was among the world’s top dozen in daily new Covid-19 cases and among the world’s top 10 countries in daily new Covid-19 deaths.

“What is the government doing to dissociate Malaysia from such dubious company?

“How many more deaths and suicides in Malaysia before we see light at the end of the tunnel?” he asked.

On Monday, law minister Takiyuddin Hassan announced that all six emergency ordinances had been revoked under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution on July 21. He also said the government had decided that it would not advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to extend the state of emergency, which ends on Aug 1.

MPs from both sides of the political divide and the public have questioned whether the government had advised the King to revoke the emergency ordinances. They also noted that the revocation had not been gazetted.

Takiyuddin has refused to comment, saying he will only do so on Monday, as ruled by Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun. - FMT