Zuraida defends Takiyuddin in EO revocation issue

 

Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin. -filepic

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin has defended the government's decision to revoke the Emergency Ordinances, saying that it was done in accordance with the Federal Constitution.

The Housing and Local Government Minister said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan did not make any mistake in announcing the revocation during the first day of the special parliamentary sitting on July 26.

“If you listen to him carefully, he said nothing wrong with regard to the ordinances. He said the Cabinet has revoked the ordinances on July 21; that was the Cabinet’s decision. So, there is nothing wrong with that,” she said during an interview on Astro Awani’s “Consider This” segment titled “Constitutional Crisis Resolve?”.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on Thursday (July 29) said the government’s decision to revoke six Emergency Ordinances was made without his consent.

In a statement issued by Istana Negara, the King also felt “greatly disappointed” that the revocation of the ordinances was not tabled in Parliament by the government.

Takiyuddin was singled out in the statement for misleading the Parliament on the annulment of the Emergency Ordinances.

When asked about the statement from the Palace, the Ampang MP, who is from Bersatu, said that as a minister, she understood the process that the government went through to revoke the ordinances.

"It is a constitutional monarchy, where you have to get the advice from the Cabinet and Prime Minister in anything that you want to do.

“I was a bit upset. If there is anything that was not clear, they should call the prime minister, and the latter did this once a week before the cabinet, to brief what is happening and there can be clarification,” she said, adding that there shouldn't have been any kind of public statement, as it was “not proper in this constitutional monarchy system”.

"It is a waste of time to argue on this when we know it will end up (with) something that is up to the government and cabinet to decide, and the monarch has to listen.

“If he needs the clarification, we (will) clarify with him to his satisfaction. So, that should be the way,” added Zuraida.

Zuraida also justified the postponement of the Parliament proceedings, saying that there were 70 Covid-19 cases reported in the Parliament compounds.

She also criticised the Opposition leaders who protested outside Parliament, saying that they should have considered the scientific aspects of the decision that was made to ensure there was no Covid-19 Parliament cluster. - Star