Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed a majority of Members of Parliament have submitted a letter urging Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to reconsider the recently declared state of emergency.
The issue: With the edict issued by Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the declaration of emergency which begins 12th January and last until 1st August 2021 to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The declaration of emergency temporarily suspends the Parliament and State Assemblies from convening meetings and there will be no elections held during that specific period.
Key statements: “We are not against it, but we are appealing for His Majesty to reconsider the reasons given by the prime minister which are deemed unreasonable,”Anwar Ibrahim said.
He also appealed to the King to allow the sitting of Parliament to be held at the soonest.
He said it is not against the state of emergency to hold Parliamentary sessions, because he claimed such a thing is allowed based on the Constitution.
He said this issue is important because Parliament provides a platform for check and balance on the government’s initiatives to combat the pandemic.