KUCHING, March 1: The Emergency Ordinance was declared solely to solve the Covid-19 problem in the country, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
According to Muhyiddin the Emergency Ordinance is to enable the government to address the Covid-19 pandemic situation efficiently and effectively, without having to go through the parliamentary process which normally would take time.
Muhyiddin said he is aware and understands the meaning of democracy, and none of the ordinances declared are intended to keep a prime minister in power forever.
“In fact, the current implementation of the Emergency Ordinance has an Aug 1 deadline. The main focus of the government at this moment is to steer the country clear of the double whammy of health and economic crisises.
“Once the pandemic is over, which I hope will be very soon, I will advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to dissolve Parliament. Until such time, my colleagues in the Cabinet and I will continue to carry out our duties and responsibilities to the best of our ability,” he said during the “Setahun Malaysia Prihatin” address in conjunction with his first year in office, today.
Muhyiddin pointed out this is the first time in the country’s history that an emergency declaration has a deadline.
He gave assurance that when the Covid-19 problem has been overcome, he will advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament so that elections can be held and the people are free to choose their government.
“When the election is held, of course, we will leave it to the people to decide whether the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government should be re-elected or otherwise. You are free to choose and that is what democracy is all about,” he said. — DayakDaily
