Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has lashed out at Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin by saying that declaring a state of emergency would only give extra power to the prime minister, who is using the Covid-19 pandemic to justify Parliament being delayed, shortened and void of any debates.
In his blog, chedet.cc, Dr Mahathir said that there is nothing that an emergency can do to stop the Covid-19 pandemic more than what is being done now.
“An emergency would give extra power to the Prime Minister. What he has done so far has not mitigated the political, economic and social problems affecting the country.“He has a huge Cabinet which has contributed nothing to the well-being of the people and the country,” he said in his blogpost.
“Faced with the possibility of being overthrown, the Prime Minister wants the powers under a state of emergency.
“The only benefit would accrue to the Prime Minister, as Parliament would be paralysed. He would claim that it is the wish of the Palace,” Dr Mahathir said.
He also pointed out that the power and authority of the current government have been adequate to deal with the pandemic, and that there has been little fight back from the rakyat on policies that have already been put in place.
“We don’t find the kind of objection by the people as seen in the US and Europe. Our people have very largely obeyed the restrictions such as the MCO,” he said.
He said even countries with more severe Covid-19 problems have not declared an emergency for the entire country, but only for affected areas.
“None have suspended laws and Parliament as it would if emergency is declared in Malaysia.
“There are no riots or violence in Malaysia, no breakdown of laws and order to justify an emergency.
“But there is a need for some changes to be made to the government which seized power through undemocratic means,” he said.
Dr Mahathir also warned that declaring an emergency will result in the stock market taking a dip, causing uneasiness among investors.
“If emergency is declared then the market will collapse completely. The investors have no faith in the Prime Minister being able to manage the economy.
“He messed up the Covid-19 situation by trying to grab the government of Sabah. The present spike is entirely due to the Sabah election.
“So, the government has been changed. What good has it brought to Sabah?” he said.
Yesterday, talk was rife that the government was planning on declaring an emergency in the country.
However, as of now, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has yet to respond to the matter.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah this morning said he will consult the Malay Rulers based on the recommendations made to him by Muhyiddin yesterday.