Resign honourably for the volte-face on Dewan, Lim tells Takiyuddin

 

Lim Guan Eng (left) said Takiyuddin Hassan had performed ‘linguistic acrobatics’ by trying to spin the royal decree.

PETALING JAYA: De facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan’s volte-face on when Parliament can reconvene reflects his lack of knowledge in the operation of Malaysian laws, claims DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

“Despite his irresponsible and dishonest stance opposing the convening of Parliament before Aug 1 after the King had first issued a decree asking Parliament to sit ‘as soon as possible’, he issued a statement yesterday stating that it will indeed be convened before the date.

“How many more mistakes must Malaysians suffer from a de facto law minister who refuses to act in accordance with the law?”

In a statement today, Lim said Takiyuddin was also incompetent for stating that it was the Cabinet that would advise the King on whether to extend the Emergency, contrary to the role of the special independent committee set up under the Emergency Ordinance for the purpose.

“Before the Cabinet meets on July 7 to finalise the details relating to convening of Parliament, Takiyuddin should honourably resign for such acts of disloyalty,” he said.

On June 27, Takiyuddin said Parliament can only convene after the state of emergency comes to an end on Aug 1. He said it in response to the King’s statement asking for the Dewan to sit “as soon as possible”.

“As the Emergency is still in force, no notice has been issued by the Dewan Rakyat speaker on convening the lower house,” he had said.

Yesterday, he said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will call for a Parliament sitting before Aug 1, adding that this would be finalised by the Cabinet when it meets on July 7.

Lim said Takiyuddin had performed “linguistic acrobatics” by trying to spin the royal decree of “as soon as possible” as not specifying a date, and that it conforms to Prime Minister Muhyiddin’s Yassin’s suggestion for Parliament to convene in October.

In a rare move however, the Bagan MP praised Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim for openly contradicting Perikatan Nasional’s official position, stating instead that the Emergency Ordinance 2021 gives the King complete authority to recall Parliament.

“I hope the government will ensure the smooth convening of Parliament to debate both the PN government’s failure to manage the Covid-19 crisis and the Emergency Ordinance as per the King’s royal decree,” Lim said.

“The nation needs leaders who are committed to upholding the law for the benefit of the people, not politicians who are interested only in protecting their perks and privileges of office.” - FMT