The forthcoming parliamentary sitting should be a venue for the people's voices, with grievances addressed, hope restored and solutions to problems sought, not a stage for lectures by ministers, Pakatan Harapan presidential council leaders said.
"Principles of accountability and sincerity need to be upheld with a check and balance role involving all MPs.
"After being warned three times by His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, as well as facing pressure from political parties and ordinary Malaysians, the prime minister finally agreed and upheld His Majesty's order to convene a sitting of Parliament.
"However, the presidential council is of the view that the special session is too short to really discuss the issues highlighted by the King, namely the Proclamation of Emergency, Emergency Ordinances and the National Recovery Plan," PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu said in a joint statement.
"In fact, we deeply regret that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) govt only intends to provide information related to the Covid-19 National Recovery Plan without any debate, and the proclamation, as well as emergency ordinances, will only be tabled and not discussed.
"This is not in line with His Majesty's view. If the PN government still disobeys His Majesty's views, then the parliamentary session this time is just a political farce," Anwar, Lim and Mat Sabu said.
The leaders called on the government to invite the opposition to jointly draft the agenda for this special session of Parliament, which is due to reconvene for five days (July 26-29 July and Aug 2) for the Dewan Rakyat and for three days (Aug 3-5) for the Dewan Negara.
"We must work out a solution in order to bring Malaysians out of this Covid-19 crisis and heal the economy. We must be together fighting Covid-19 to save the country, rather than politicising to protect positions," the Harapan leaders said.
Parliament has been suspended since Jan 11 following the proclamation of the state of emergency.
Although the law allows for Parliament to reconvene, Putrajaya chose not to do so - until two decrees were issued by the king, on June 16 and 29.
In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said that the sitting will see the government explaining the National Recovery Plan to the MPs and amend the rules necessary for future parliamentary sittings which would involve both in-person and online attendance.
The statement added that the proclamation of emergency and all emergency ordinances will be "laid before" both houses of Parliament. It is uncertain if this means the ordinances - which have a shelf life of six months after the emergency - would be debated and voted on.
Meanwhile, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) said that many questions persisted following the PMO statement. These are:
(1) Since no royal address is mentioned, is this considered the fourth meeting of the third session of Parliament (2020)?
(2) When does the prime minister plan to convene the fourth session (2021), which must start with the royal address?
(3) While the emergency proclamation and ordinance will be “laid before both Houses of Parliament” as per Article 150(3), will MPs get to table and vote on resolutions to revoke any of them, such that they can cease to have effect immediately and not wait until their expiration six months after the end of the emergency, as per Article 150(7)?
(4) Specifically, will the Parliament be allowed to repeal Sections 10A and 10B of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021 which gives the federal and state governments unchecked power on financial matters?
If not, will such unchecked power persist up to Feb 1, 2022, six months after the emergency ends on Aug 1, 2021, as per Article 153(7)?
Relatedly, will the government be ready to defend its Employees Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawal policies and its decision to draw from the National Trust Fund (Kwan) to finance vaccination under the Emergency (National Trust Fund) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 and answer questions on the statutory debt ceiling and reveal details of the 5G megaproject?
(5) Specifically, will the government allow the Parliament to repeal the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No 2) Ordinance 2021, which imposes sentences of up to a fine of RM500,000 and six years of imprisonment at the maximum for offences related to fake news, and suspends the Evidence Act 1950 (Act 56)?
If not, will this law continue to be in force until Feb 1, 2022, six months after the emergency proclamation ends on Aug 1, 2021, as per Article 150(7)?
(6) Will the National Recovery Plan be debated and voted on by MPs, with amendments in approval if necessary, or will this five-day session be merely a one-way briefing from the executive to the opposition MPs and government backbenchers?
(7) Will the Selection Committee of the Dewan Rakyat, which decides the number and membership of all other parliamentary committees, also be convened to meet rising demand among Malaysians suffering from policy chaos, i.e. to establish more Parliamentary Special Select Committees (PSSCs) so that every ministerial portfolio will be scrutinised by a PSSC to avoid policy blind spots, public backlashes and policy flipflops?
In posing these questions, Bersih expressed the wish for a professional and effective Parliament, and not a cynical and perfunctory move to deflect the public’s demand and to retain the Parliament as the executive’s rubber stamp. - Mkini
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