By Prof P Ramasamy
IT might be the joke of the year or a wholesale fraud as stated by People’s Justice Party (PKR) president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to have parliament sittings for five days, from July 26 to 29 and August 2, 2021.
Why five days if Government’s business could be done in two days?
Or why have Parliament sitting for a limited period?
Why have the sittings as the limited period makes no sense?
Is the Perikatan Nasional (PN) Government in a panicky mood?
How can the MPs, both from the Government and the opposition, have a reasonable forum to debate the political direction of the country amidst the terrible COVID-19 pandemic?
Parliament might not be everything but at least it offers an opportunity for Malaysians to gauge the views of MPS representing the various constituencies across the country.
Even if nothing tangible results from parliamentary sittings, they nonetheless provide a window of knowledge about the situation of the country.
Even the limited democracy is at stake in the hands of the PN Government that came to power not through constitutional means but by a putsch.
This in itself indicates the Government’s love for Parliament, for popular participation and for democracy.
Alas, under the misguided PN Government or non-government, Parliament is about to be used as an institutional premise not to open up debates but to throttle and suffocate the expression of free will.
As far as the PN Government is concerned, Parliament is just another institutional rubber stamp. This is precisely what is going to happen in the five days meet.
It is not difficult to predict the set minds of those in the Government, the five days, or at least a major portion of it will be devoted to discuss various legislative ordinances including the Emergency Ordinance.
I suppose the five days are not meant to debate Government measures adopted to end the pandemic, but more a move to seek an endorsement of the government measures adopted so far.
Of course, Parliament will be convened at a time that the Government’s efforts to contain the COVID-19 infection rate is nothing to be proud of.
To date, only about 8% of the population have been vaccinated. Despite the constant boast of some ministers, the Government finds it difficult to procure more vaccines. Thus, it will be tall order to vaccinate 80% of the population by October this year.
It serves no purpose to speak of herd immunity anymore but more accurate to say that COVID-19 pandemic will become endemic in the population.
Furthermore, the vaccine shortage is shocking to say the least.
When other countries can attain remarkable success, Malaysia has nothing to be proud of as the Government has failed the people.
Given the fact that there is no prospect for an extension of the Emergency especially with the opposition emanating from the Rulers, the PN Government has no choice but to allow for a parliament sitting albeit in a truncated form.
It is not that the PN Government wants to have parliamentary sitting but it has no choice.
But there is a thinking that Parliament should be convened for brief period by restricting the debates from the opposition members.
So, what is the point of having Parliament convened for five days? It does not make any sense.
Also, it is pointless to speak or debate about the constitutionality of the five days Parliament sitting. – July 7, 2021
Prof P Ramasamy is the Deputy Chief Minister of Penang and Perai state assemblyman.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
