CIVIL society groups today hit back at PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who had previously described anyone who objected to the emergency as being worse than terrorists, reiterating that Covid-19 is still rampant even with emergency enforced.

They said the emergency, which was enforced by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration ostensibly to curb the spread of the pandemic, was undemocratic, and Hadi as an MP, should realise this.

Coalition for Clean and Fair Election (Bersih 2.0) chairman Thomas Fann pointed out that almost all areas of the public and private sectors, including schools, are allowed to open during the emergency, with only Parliament remaining suspended.  

“This has allowed the Perikatan Nasional government to run the country by decree without being scrutinised by its legislative arm or even the judiciary, since Article 150 (8) kills the right of the court to challenge the emergency.

“Notwithstanding the fact that Hadi is part of the PN government, as an MP he should understand the importance of Parliament to be an effective check and balance.

“To suggest that Parliament would be a hindrance in the fight against Covid-19 is an insult to the institution and the people who elected the MPs,” Fann said.

Parliament has been suspended since the declaration of emergency on January 12. Despite Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah giving permission for Parliament to convene during the emergency, the government has not heeded this call.

“It is quite obvious that the declaration of emergency was politically motivated and not driven by health and safety concerns,” Fann said.

The emergency has come under immense criticism as it allowed the government to pass ordinances and spend national funds without any checks and balances from Parliament.

Since the implementation of emergency, Malaysia has reported an increasing number of new infections and fatalities with the Ministry of Health projecting that cases will reach 3,000 during the Hari Raya period.

Hadi’s statement was aimed at rejecting calls for an immediate end to emergency by opposition parties, which say they will be meeting the king in due course.

Opposition MPs mobilised through the committee for ending the emergency declaration to appeal to the king to restore democracy.

The committee received a letter from Istana Negara last Thursday stating that the king had agreed to grant an audience to the committee on an unspecified date.

Suaram’s executive director Sevan Doraisamy said Hadi’s comments are best ignored as the Islamic party’s president is losing his credibility.

“He can’t deny the fact that he is part of the undemocratic process of how PN came to power.

“He’s clearly endorsing ‘kerajaan gagal’ as they cannot control the Covid-19 situation in a more professional manner, as many other countries do.”

Sevan said regardless, the current government has failed the nation as it has acted undemocratically by not convening parliament.

“All the current standard operating procedures (SOP) and action taken by the government can be carried out using the movement control order (MCO), conditional MCO or recovery MCO.

“Although there are many double standards in practice, one important institution neglected by PN is closing Parliament in the name of emergency. Doing so and not functioning in the best interest of the people is an undemocratic act,” he said.

Malaysia United Democratic Alliance (Muda) vice president Lim Wei Jiat said Hadi’s statement was extremely irresponsible.

“Calling for the restoration of democracy, and checks and balances that have been part of our system of government for 60 years is not extreme. How does anyone with a sound mind equate that with terrorism?” he asked.

Lim also refuted Hadi’s words that the groups calling for the end of the emergency do not care about the pandemic because they have become obsessed with politicking. In fact, he said, they were calling for its end because it will save more lives.

“Why does Hadi assume that if the emergency is lifted, more lives will be lost? This is not a zero-sum game. You can both save lives and restore democracy. In fact, with more democracy, comes greater accountability and better delivery of government services, which will save more lives.

He said Muda is calling for an end to the emergency precisely because it cares about saving lives.

“Greater democracy (will ensure) greater delivery of health services.

“The parties obsessed with continuing the emergency, including PAS, are the ones which want to preserve political power.” – April 26, 2021.