No sane person would believe that the government has adjourned the Parliament sitting scheduled for tomorrow due to Covid-19 infections.
Former prime minister Najib Razak has questioned why Parliament should be postponed indefinitely due to Covid-19 when an outbreak at a vaccination centre (PPV) in Shah Alam saw the venue closed for only one day.
“It is very hard for anyone to believe that a PPV involving tens of thousands of citizens is allowed to resume operations just two days after 204 officers tested positive, but Parliament has to be closed for an unknown period,” he said in a Facebook post.
“Does the government believe that the lives of 220 MPs are worth more than the thousands of citizens who visit that PPV every day?”
The Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) in Shah Alam, which is currently serving as a PPV, was temporarily closed for a day (July 13) after 204 Covid-19 cases were detected among the staff there.
Meanwhile, 11 cases were detected by the health ministry at Parliament after 1,183 tests were done there on Thursday.
Dewan Rakyat secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin yesterday issued a circular to all MPs stating that Monday’s Parliament sitting had been indefinitely postponed by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, in line with the health ministry’s risk analysis.
Najib also took a jab at Muhyiddin’s majority, asking if the Pagoh MP has enough support. He said the Bersatu president should allow Emergency Ordinances to be debated and voting to take place.
“Allow MPs to vote and debate if the PM has the strong support 110 or 115 MPs. He should not run away but must explain the situation.
“He only came on Monday and then didn’t show up since,” said Najib.
Earlier today, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang called on Muhyiddin to lift the Parliament lockdown to allow MPs to address the worsening Covid-19 pandemic and the “major constitutional crisis” in the Dewan Rakyat.
In a statement, the Iskandar Puteri MP said Muhyiddin should not use Covid-19 as an excuse to “shut down parliamentary democracy” in Malaysia.
“It (Parliament’s postponement) is symbolic of the (government’s) lack of credibility and legitimacy, and its failure to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control,” said Lim.
“The Parliament lockdown on Monday is not only contradictory to the need for a new war policy and strategy to fight the Covid-19 pandemic based on ‘Living with Covid’ instead of ‘Zero Covid’, but also a gross abuse of power.”