The Malaysian Insight

THE government must explain how it will handle the fines issued to members of the public, after it announced its retrospective cancellation of Emergency ordinances, said Lim Guan Eng (Bagan-PH) in Parliament today.

“Will the government also cancel all the fines and punishments given out after July 21,” said the former finance minister in the Dewan Rakyat.

“As far as I know, fines are still being given out by the authorities,” said the Bagan MP.

Lim was responding to the sudden announcement by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Parliament) Takiyuddin Hassan (Kota Bahru-PN) earlier today that emergency ordinances had expired on July 21.

Following pressure from the opposition lawmakers on why the government did not table the emergency ordinances for review, Takiyuddin said the government had already decided to cancel the laws it had enacted, as of July 21.

He added that the government will also not seek to extend the current emergency when it expires on August 1.

Following the cancellation, Takiyuddin said there was no need to table the declaration of emergency and its ordinances in Parliament, although Article 150 (3) of the federal constitution states that all laws as such must be brought to Parliament for approval, even in retrospect.

The minister’s sudden announcement has also left more unanswered questions as the government decision has not yet been gazetted.

“As it is, the government has not explained anything,” said Lim. 

“Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should explain this to us,” said the DAP leader when the prime minister was reading his statement on the national recovery plan in Parliament today.

Lim also asked if the government had presented the cancellation of the Emergency laws to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Following months of public pressure, the government decided to hold a “special meeting” for MPs from July 26 to August 2.

Although the King in June had decreed Parliament should meet as soon as possible, the government has delayed a formal scheduled sitting until September 6.

While MPs are allowed to ask questions to the government, there will be no voting as the government has not put any bills on the agenda.

Muhyiddin is widely believed to have lost his majority in Parliament after Umno withdrew its support for the Bersatu president on July 8. – July 26, 2021.