Commentary by Mustafa K. Anuar

IT’S rather bizarre to watch live on television – courtesy of the official media outfit RTM – politicians who were voted out of power two years ago comfortably seated at the government bench, led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, in the third session of the 14th Parliament yesterday.

On the other hand, Pakatan Harapan (PH) MPs switched places to occupy the opposition bench, together with Bersatu’s tiny fraction led by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

It was also surreal to note that yesterday’s parliamentary sitting, the first for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government since its formation following the “Sheraton move”, lasted for about an hour or so to allow the lawmakers to only listen to the Agong’s royal address.

PN’s unwavering decision to have a brief session yesterday prompted protests from the opposition, civil society organisations, legal eagles and concerned Malaysians. A few lawyers have already questioned the constitutional legality of this brief sitting.

It is regrettable that the government has also refused to entertain the suggestion from a few groups to hold an online parliamentary session, which is modelled after the experience of the UK and other democracies, to overcome health issues related to Covid-19.

Not only is this short stint seen by many as a mockery of parliamentary democracy, it has also deprived lawmakers of the opportunity to discuss urgent matters pertaining to the crisis that we now face, such as the funds for economic stimulus packages.

It is precisely because this pandemic has brought about a variety of problems to society that the parliamentary session ought to be extended so that both the government and the opposition can and should address such urgent items of business.

Moreover, it is the convention that the royal address be subsequently debated by parliamentarians for a period.

For instance, the king in his royal address has called on employers to avoid sacking their employees and asked the government to extend help to the tourism and small and medium enterprises.

Malaysians would surely want to know what solutions both the government and the opposition could offer to these urgent issues if the parliamentary session was to be extended.  

In his address, the king also rightly called on politicians not to drag the country to another round of political uncertainty, what with the pandemic still haunting the nation and the world.

This issue certainly deserves the lawmakers’ attention and deliberations in Parliament, especially in the wake of power grab and the fall of the PH governments of Johor, Malacca, Perak and Kedah that happened in recent weeks.

Why, there’s even talk of certain quarters possibly bringing down two other PH states.

In the meantime, journalists and photographers from non-official media organisations were barred from entering Parliament, as if to carry out someone’s strange notion of social distancing.

A reporter fainted standing among his peers outside the Parliament gate after soaking in the morning sun.

With words unspoken, the lawmakers left the parliament building where trading of barbs and banter used to be the norm. – May 19, 2020.