PARLIAMENT | Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said he would remind his fellow cabinet ministers not to try to circumvent the SOPs for the upcoming Malacca state election while campaigning.
He was responding to Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (Harapan-Kulim Bandar Baharu) who had questioned whether there will be double standards in the implementation of the SOPs during the Malacca snap polls.
“Actually, we do not practise double standards.
“The Election Commission (EC) wants (to preserve) practices of a vibrant democracy, which means allowing everything as long as it is based on what is set by the Health Ministry and the National Security Council (NSC) because the law still has to be complied with.
“I have taken note of what you have said. I will raise this issue in the coming cabinet meeting, I will ask the other ministers not to find ways to circumvent the SOPs decided by the NSC and the MOH and implemented by the EC,” Wan Junaidi (above) said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Saifuddin had pointed out in an additional question that Malacca is under Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP).
The SOPs for Phase 4, as set by the National Security Council (NSC), allow for much greater freedoms including official government events.
“What if the defence minister goes to the Sungai Udang army camp to campaign under the guise of an official government event, because that is now allowed (under Phase 4 SOPs).
“What we don’t want is double standards in terms of implementation where, when the government goes (to campaign), they use the NSC’s SOPs but when we (the opposition) go, they use the EC’s SOPs,” Saifuddin had said.
It had been previously announced that all physical gatherings and social events related to the election will be banned in the Malacca state election to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
This announcement has been met with widespread criticism from both sides of the divide, with electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 saying this is a suppression of democracy.
Wan Junaidi stressed that the EC wants to preserve the practices of a vibrant democracy but it must be balanced with the safety of the people involved in the elections, which falls under the purview of the MOH and the NSC.
“Because of that, the EC cooperated with the NSC and the MOH to create a set of SOPs that can benefit both sides and we are taking a middle path so that democracy can be carried out,” he said.
The SOPs for the upcoming Malacca state election have not been announced yet.
Malacca goes to the polls on Nov 20 with nomination day set for Nov 8. - Mkini
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