Group launches #BantahDaruratMuhyiddin campaign against executive overreach

 

A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has launched an online campaign to protest against alleged executive overreach and an assault of civil liberties by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin via the emergency declaration.

The CSO Platform for Reform is urging the public to voice their dissatisfaction by posting on social media with the hashtag #BantahDaruratMuhyiddin.

The emergency was declared on Tuesday, ostensibly to aid with the fight against the surging Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the emergency, which is in effect until Aug 1, Parliament has been suspended - entrusting power squarely on the executive.

In a statement today, the group said while it supported tackling the Covid-19 pandemic through laws such as the movement control order, there should not be any executive overreach.

"Any move that allows the functions, personnel and powers of governance to be concentrated in one single body must be viewed with the greatest caution, due to the absence of check and balance against possible abuse of power and curtailment of the people’s constitutionally guaranteed rights.

"We urge the government not to prioritise political opportunism, and instead to refocus on flattening the Covid-19 curve with the existing measures," the CSO Platform for Reform said.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) called on civil societies and the public to hold the government accountable during the emergency period.

This is as their research has shown a trend in which "governments in Asia have used emergency powers to violate human rights and to consolidate power, through increased militarisation and disproportionate restrictions".

"We should all remain vigilant and ensure that we do not lose our hard-fought freedoms because of this. The government should get the message that we are all watching,’ they added.

Muhyiddin had stressed that the emergency was not a military coup and that the declaration was needed to give the government certain powers to effectively combat the worsening Covid-19 pandemic.

However, critics have accused the prime minister of using the emergency as a cover for extending the rule of Perikatan Nasional, after it lost majority control of the Dewan Rakyat after two Umno lawmakers withdrew support. - Mkini