TENGKU Razaleigh Hamzah has said that any move to declare emergency in the country will be disastrous for the struggling economy. The Gua Musang MP said he was dismayed and shocked that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin with the backing of his cabinet was seeking the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to declare a state of emergency.

Tengku Razaleigh said Muhyiddin would presumably put himself in charge of this emergency administration, which enable him far-reaching powers.

“If the prime minister were to get his way in imposing the proposed state of emergency, as an economist myself and the former minister of finance and former minister of international trade and industry (and former chairman of World Bank & IMF), I can say with some certainty that it may be the “final nail in the coffin” for our already battered economy.’

“Local and foreign investors would shun us completely. Business confidence would be at ground zero,” he said in a statement today. 

The statement comes after Putrajaya had sought the king’s consent yesterday to impose emergency rule.

The Conference of Malay Rulers will meet soon to decide on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s proposals, said Istana Negara today.

The Umno veteran said he did not question the prime minister’s right to seek a declaration for a state of emergency with the king but the basis, timing and the real motive for it.

“We are now having a public health care crisis that is severely impacting the livelihood and economy of our people and the government may not be managing the crisis in the best interest of the public.

“The public and politicians across the divide, except for a few recalcitrants, are co-operating with the government on the measures and SOP. Our parliamentary system of democracy is working well and there are no mass rebellions or riots on our streets. I cannot see any honest basis for such a request while I can only suspect non-honourable motives behind it,” he said in the statement.

Tengku Razaleigh said the Covid-19 pandemic had caused so much pain, distress and suffering to the man-on-the-street and said it broke his heart every time he heard or read stories on how the ordinary rakyat was struggling in trying to cope with the crisis.

“Every day, more and more businesses, big and small, are closing down. More people are getting laid off and unemployed. For the many self-employed consultants and contractors, there is hardly any work out there for them. Yet, they somehow have to feed and provide the basic necessities for themselves and their families,” he noted.

The Umno advisory council chairman said when the pandemic first started, there seemed to be some determination by the government to control the spread of the disease and provide the necessary health care and treatment needed for the patients concerned.

However, he noted lately, there seems to be a lack of a coordinated and integrated approach in dealing with the crisis in what appears to be an absence clear and exemplary leadership by the government.

“There are also double standards on the enforcement and penalty meted out, one for the ordinary rakyat and another for government ministers and well-connected people,” he said in the statement.

Tengku Razaleigh said as he had reasons to believe that the prime minister and his cabinet no longer commanded the support of a majority of the Dewan Rakyat and had recently written to the speaker of Dewan Rakyat to treat a “motion of no confidence” as a matter of priority to be debated and voted on at the earliest possible opportunity.

“This is in line with the principles of our parliamentary system of democracy, which the Constitution is supreme and above that of the Standing Orders and the authority of the House is far above that of a government minister.

“My initiative with the speaker should not be seen as self-serving or that I may have a vested interest in the position of the prime minister, but in upholding the principles of our parliamentary system,” he said.

Tengku Razaleigh pointed out that Muyhiddin in refusing to submit himself to a vote of no confidence in Parliament, had demonstrated that he no longer has any legitimacy to be the prime minister.

“I also have information to suggest that the prime minister does not command a simple majority of the members of the Dewan Rakyat. Otherwise, why is he afraid to submit himself to a vote of no confidence?” he said.

This being the case, the Gua Musang MP said it was wrong in principle, for the prime minister to now go to the king and seek a declaration of a state of emergency, presumably to protect his own position.

“An illegitimate prime minister is in no moral position to seek a declaration for a state of emergency, which may grant him far-reaching powers without any accountability and the checks and balances.

“The agong and the rulers should not entertain such an illegitimate request based on flimsy excuses,” he said. – October 24, 2020.