IN his statement yesterday, Minister of International Trade and Industry Mohamed Azmin Ali attempted to:

1) contrast the efforts of the current government with the supposed “politicking” of the opposition;

2) paint the discourse against the emergency declaration as an opposition-led campaign; and

3) argue that the emergency is a necessary response to Covid-19.

His statements are clearly misleading and weak in their persuasive nature given the clear hypocrisy that he puts on display.

It is another attempt at doublespeak where the nation’s best interest is mysteriously aligned with his.

I refer to the following statement he made:

“In light of this, it is most regrettable that the leader of the opposition has chosen to stir up instability and sow hatred when he claimed to the whole world that he had obtained ‘a convincing and formidable majority in Parliament’ to form a new government and calling on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to resign.”

While Azmin might think that he is different from Anwar Ibrahim because his actions early this year were initially aimed at maintaining the leadership of Dr Mahathir Mohamad through the formation of a new coalition (which later backfired with the resignation of Dr Mahathir), the modus operandi that he and his cohorts display is no different from the methods of the man he seeks to vilify.

The government of which he is a part is the cause of the instability in the first place, put in place during the rise of the pandemic.

Yes, two wrongs don’t make a right but in this situation a pot calling the kettle black doesn’t change the colour either.

In any event, the personal animosity between him and Anwar Ibrahim is an irrelevant factor in the need for an emergency to be declared.

Azmin, through his rhetoric, seeks to discredit the opposition by portraying an image of the ruling coalition working hard to curb the pandemic.

However, what he has failed to mention in his statement is the suppression of information and data to Selangor pertaining to Covid-19, the lack of inclusivity of opposition-led states in discussions concerning the pandemic and the quality of the work he and his cohorts have been producing in these last two months or so.

What is the use of working hard, if the quality of the work produced is subpar?

The Work From Home directive issued last week reeks of incompetence in the manner in which it was communicated and implemented.

Ten percent of management? It is also not fair to assume that if the opposition were in his shoes they would not be working as hard or performing even better.

In any event, the work should be expected and not praised for simply because it is done.

Azmin also stated the following:

“In light of this, opposition parties’ outburst yesterday about the nation descending into dictatorship should a state of economic emergency be declared is therefore an act of utter recklessness and irresponsibility most unbecoming of MPs.”

He failed to explain how it is an act of “utter recklessness and irresponsibility” for there to be an outburst about the nation descending into a dictatorship.

We have legal experts with many years of experience or years of academic reading that have stated quite clearly that there is no such thing as an “economic emergency” nor is there a need for an emergency to be declared in light of the other laws that the state can impose to curb the pandemic.

Deviating from the opinion of people who are experts in the subject is acting in a way that is no different from that of a flat-earther.

Parliament is necessary in times like this to ensure that the laws passed are debated, so that they reflect the best interests of the nation.

It is a fundamental aspect of our democracy and what Azmin Ali is pleading for us to do is to place our trust in a prime minister who was not elected to have full reign of the country for an indefinite period of time.

Thanks, but no thanks.

If the real enemy is indeed Covid-19, as Azmin has said, then he should swallow the bitter pill he has with Anwar Ibrahim and convince his cabinet to retract their proposal for a declaration of emergency #ProtesDarurat. – October 25, 2020.

* Goh Cia Yee reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.