Mukhriz to file Private Member’s Bill to postpone polls

 

PETALING JAYA: Jerlun MP Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (pic) says he will file a Private Member’s Bill to amend Article 55 (3) of the Federal Constitution aimed to allow the postponement of a general election due to the threats of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the aim of the Bill is to allow the government to postpone the general election due to the safety and the health of the rakyat until the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"This is important as the current law stipulates that the general election should be held during the pandemic.

"In addition, some government representatives had mentioned that such a situation can only be avoided if an Emergency is declared," he said while debating the 2021 Budget in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Nov 18).

Mukhriz said that although such amendments would require the support of a two-thirds majority from the members of the Dewan Rakyat, he believed that the government also had the same intention to handle the Covid-19 pandemic effectively.

"So, the government should support the proposed amendments, and it will be better if the draft of the Private Member’s Bill should come from the government and tabled in the Dewan Rakyat," he said.

"Jerlun is confident that if there is a strong political will among all parties, there is no reason why we shouldn't amend the Federal Constitution to save the rakyat from the threats of the Covid-19 pandemic," added Mukhriz.

He said despite that, he will still file a Private Member’s Bill to the speaker as it can be defined as a specific matter, urgent and of public importance. - Star