Commentary by Mustafa K. Anuar

IT was not reassuring to be told by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun recently that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will be allowed to audit government spending made during the emergency soon after it is supposedly lifted in the coming August.

We acknowledge and appreciate the role of the PAC in ensuring transparency and accountability of the government of the day but it is also important to emphasise that the legislature has a vital duty to scrutinise government spending beforehand.

That is why it is of utmost importance that the suspension of our Parliament be lifted as soon as possible so the MPs can do the job they are entrusted and paid to do.

Reconvening the Parliament became urgent, especially after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had given his consent, not too long ago, for the session to be held even during the emergency.

To scrutinise the additional government spending that had been unilaterally approved by the Perikatan Nasional government during the emergency is a situation akin to making it a fait accompli.

In fact, if our democracy acknowledges the crucial principle of separation of powers, we would instead expect the speaker of the legislature to make a good case for the reopening of the Parliament so that the legislature could check the actions and policies of the executive.

This is because apart from examining government spending, lawmakers also need to address pressing matters, particularly those concerning the Covid-19 pandemic that is now raging mercilessly across the land.

For instance, the flip-flops in the movement-control order (MCO) standard operating procedure should necessitate an all-party debate in search of a better alternative strategy in a full-blown combat against the menace.

As we know, such flip-flops have caused unnecessary anguish, confusion and frustration among ordinary Malaysians, as well as heavy financial losses to businesses, especially small-time traders.

If two heads (and more) are better than one, then policies and strategies need to be debated and crafted in Parliament to ensure they can be effective in helping to alleviate the sufferings of the vulnerable in our society, especially those who have been rendered jobless, penniless and are constantly worried about putting food on the table.

In this regard, better informed and resourceful parliamentarians, as well as science and data come in handy.

It appears that certain ministers could do with a bit of help perhaps from other politicians when it comes to the matter of policy-making and coordination.

There’s an outcry, for example, from the small and medium enterprises that were adversely affected by the so-called hotspots identification for dynamic engagement (HIDE) system, which they felt had targeted them unfairly.

They feared that the stigma associated with the controversial HIDE listing would cost their businesses dearly as a result.

Here, contradictory statements emerged, as pointed out by Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, between Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Senior Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob over the issue of HIDE.

Khairy had said businesses listed under HIDE were not confirmed Covid-19 clusters, while Ismail argued that these businesses must shut immediately for three days.

Both ministers were again seen locking horns. This one involved the issue of police approval for people under the MCO travelling across districts to get vaccination. Khairy said you don’t need police approval while Ismail disagreed.

Parents are confused over differing government instructions on the operation of kindergartens, childcare centres and nurseries with recent MCO implementation. This can affect parents’ work schedules, family arrangements, as well as the running of these childcare entities.

In another incident, some workers who were authorised to travel for work were caught recently in an apparent confusion regarding directives between the police and the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti).

And how was this confusion resolved? Miti resorted to Twitter to inform police that its authorisation letters that were given to the travelling workers do not need police stamping.

It looks like formal administrative procedure or protocol was set aside – and as a result their lack of coordination was indirectly made known to the public.

To reiterate, transparency and accountability are important in ensuring good governance, without which power abuse may occur and ill-advised policies reign supreme. This, in turn, affects the ordinary people.

Let the MPs – most, if not all, of whom have been vaccinated – go back to work in the Parliament. They owe it to their constituents. – May 12, 2021.