OPPOSITION lawmakers should not agree to join the special bipartisan committee suggested by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government to advise the King, said an Amanah leader.

The party’s vice-president Mahfuz Omar said if Pakatan Harapan (PH) joins the committee, it would mean the opposition coalition agreed to the emergency proclamation suggested by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to cling on to power despite losing the majority in Parliament.

“This is because there is no requirement for an emergency proposed by the PM and the cabinet who have lost the majority of the MPs who support Muhyiddin.

“The PM and the PN government are an administration which has usurped the people’s mandate and now during the emergency, decisions are being made by the cabinet of the PN government whose majority is only 110.

“If the opposition MPs join, that means (they) are certifying the legitimacy of the prime minister and PN,” he said in a strongly worded statement today.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on Tuesday assented to Putrajaya’s request to declare a state of emergency that will end on August 1.

Forming an independent bipartisan committee made up of government and opposition MPs to advise the Agong on the date to revoke the emergency was also one of the conditions Muhyiddin’s cabinet suggested.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Takiyuddin Hassan was reported to have sent a letter to Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to request for three names of lawmakers to be submitted for the council.

Meanwhile, PH secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution confirmed receiving the letter but demanded that the government clarify on the composition of the committee members first.

“This is because the number of government and opposition MPs may be the same, or if we take into account the recent developments, the opposition may have more MPs,” the former minister said.

Saifuddin was referring to a series of announcements by Umno MPs since last week who no longer support Muhyiddin as prime minister.

Under the emergency, Parliament and assemblies will be suspended, and all elections postponed until the emergency is lifted.

The PN bloc, which previously had 112 seats, has now dwindled down to only 109 seats after Umno lawmakers Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Gua Musang), Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub (Machang) and Nazri Abdul Aziz (Padang Rengas) renounced their support for Muhyiddin. – January 14, 2021.