Parliament should meet latest by August 16 to annul the six Emergency Ordinances and Mahiaddin has to demonstrate he has the confidence of the majority of Parliament

When Malaysia first imposed the Movement Control Order (MCO) on 18th March 2020, Malaysia had 728 Covid-19 cases and two deaths.

Now, after numerous movement control orders and a six-month emergency, we have a cumulative total of 1,163,291 Covid-19 cases and 9,598 Covid-19 deaths – 1,600 times the number of Covid-19 cases and 4,800 times the number of Covid-19 deaths after 16 months .

Last November, we were ranked No. 85 among nations with the most cumulative total of Covid-19 cases and but after nine months we are today ranked No. 27.

In daily new Covid-19 cases and deaths, Malaysia is among the world’s top dozen countries, with Malaysia in the world’s No. 1 position in terms of daily cases per million population among the these dozen countries.

Twenty months after the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia has ended up as one of the world’s worst performing nations under any metric.

On January 5, 2021, I called for a Parliament special meeting to address the worsening Covid-19 pandemic and to avert Malaysia reaching the cumulative total of 200,000 – 250,000 Covid-19 cases.

Instead, emergency was declared and Parliament was suspended.

After repeated calls by the Yang di Pertuan Agong and the Conference of Rulers special meeting on June 16, 2021 for the Emergency Proclamation, the Emergency Ordinances and the National Recovery Plan to be debated in Parliament, the Parliament special meeting for Dewan Rakyat for five days and Dewan Negara for three days was scheduled, beginning on July 26, but there was no debate on the Emergency Proclamation or Emergency Ordinances.

Most regrettably, the Parliament special meeting was suspended on July 29 on the grounds of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the announcement of the UMNO President, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi withdrawing UMNO support for Mahiaddin Yassin as Prime Minister, Parliament should meet latest by August 16 to annul the six Emergency Ordinances and for Mahiaddin to demonstrate he has the confidence of the majority of Parliament.

Lim Kit Siang

MP for Iskandar Puteri