Fahmi asks law minister: Why deny rakyat access to continuous democracy?

As de facto parliamentary affairs and law minister Takiyuddin Hassan should be at the forefront in suggesting ways for the Dewan Rakyat session to proceed instead of supporting a one-day sitting on the guise of Covid-19, Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil said.

“As the minister in charge of Parliament, he should be the first cabinet minister to announce innovative measures to adjust Parliament to a new normal.

“Perhaps the minister, who is himself a lawyer, overlooked our own Federal Court which has adjusted court proceedings to the current situation with live streaming of the appellate court proceedings.

“Doesn’t the minister wish to ensure Malaysians’ access to continuous democracy?” Fahmi (photo) said on Facebook yesterday.

The PKR lawmaker said this in response to the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department’s statement yesterday which dismissed Pakatan Harapan’s objection to the one-day Parliament sitting which barred questions from MPs.

It was reported the Dewan Rakyat will sit for just one day on May 18, in light of the virus outbreak. During the session, Parliament will only discuss government Bills and business.

Oral question sessions, written questions, motions and special chambers will not be held.

The Pakatan Harapan presidential council said it will be seeking to meet Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Mohd Yusof over the matter.

Yesterday, Takiyuddin had accused the opposition of failing to set the right priorities by protesting the one-day sitting.

"Government decisions are based on current circumstances and developments. In particular, controlling and ending the threat of the Covid-19 outbreak as well as taking urgent steps to help people deal with its short-term effects,” he said.

Meanwhile, DAP MP Lim Kit Siang (photo) said it was Takiyuddin who had “failed to get the right priorities” in light of the current health crisis, which should be to strike a balance between saving lives, preventing a resurgence of Covid-19 and reviving the economy.

“The country must be mindful of what the prime minister admitted yesterday that each day of the (movement control order) MCO, with most businesses shut, the Malaysian economy bleeds RM2.4 billion. 

“The minister for parliamentary affairs is not the master of Parliament, which is a total misconception of his ministerial duties as well as the fundamental principle in the constitution on the separation of powers among the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.

“Malaysia is probably the only parliamentary democracy in the world whose minister for parliamentary affairs thinks that during the Covid-19 pandemic, there are no parliamentary affairs to be transacted - and at most, the cabinet should just comply with the constitutional requirement that Parliament should meet once in every six months. Hence the genesis of the shocking idea of a one-day Parliament,” Lim, who is Iskandar Puteri lawmaker, said in a separate statement.

Takiyuddin, he said, should realise that at a time of crisis, the role of Parliament is more vital than ever to pass emergency laws, allocate resources and scrutinise government actions. - Mkini