Public trust and confidence in Malaysia shattered by a government which is the worst offender of “politicking ” although it is camouflaged as “doing national good”


Keyakinan dan kepercayaan awam tercalar oleh kerajaan yang kuat “berpolitik” sambil menyembunyikan perbuatan tersebut konon-kononnya demi “kepentingan negara”

Semalam, Parlimen Thailand telah meluluskan pakej sokongan ekonomi bernilai RM252 bilion untuk mengurangkan impak wabak Covid-19 kepada negara tersebut, termasuklah bantuan untuk para petani dan pekerja sektor tidak formal seperti penjaja jalanan dan mereka yang bekerja di rumah urut dan bar yang kini tidak dapat menjalankan perniagaan.

Seminggu lepas pula, Parlimen Singapura telah meluluskan belanjawan tambahan yang bernilai SGD33 bilion. Ini merupakan inisiatif khas untuk membantu para pekerja dan perniagaan yang berhadapan dengan kesan wabak Covid-19.

Belanjawan yang diperkenalkan sebagai Belanjawan Ketabahan (Fortitude Budget) ini adalah belanjawan keempat negara tersebut dalam tempoh empat bulan sejak pengumuman Belanjawan Perpaduan, Ketahanan, dan Solidariti sebelum ini, yang secara keseluruhannya berjumlah lebih daripada SGD100 bilion ataupun hampir 20 peratus KDNK Singapura — sebagai usaha membantu rakyat negara pulau tersebut dalam menghadapi wabak Covid-19.

Di Filipina, Dewan Rakyatnya masih bersidang, melalui kombinasi persidangan melalui video dan secara bersemuka sejak 23 Mac untuk meluluskan rang undang-undang yang yang diperlukan oleh kerajaan Filipina dalam melawan wabak ini. Satu Jawatankuasa Mengalahkan Covid-19 telah ditubuhkan dan jawatankuasa ini bermesyuarat melalui persidangan video sekurang-kurangnya dua kali seminggu.

Di Indonesia juga, Dewan Rakyat mereka terus bersidang seperti biasa dengan memberikan keutamaan kepada peraturan-peraturan yang berkaitan dengan penularan wabak Covid-19. Rang undang-undang menyemak semula undang-undang pengurusan bencana di negara tersebut telah diluluskan, yang memberikan kuasa lebih meluas kepada Badan Mitigasi Bencana Kebangsaan (BNPB) dan juga peningkatan kepada peruntukan pengurusan bencana kepada belanjawan negeri.

Hanya di Malaysia sahaja Parlimen dikunci, dengan Ahli Parlimen dihalang daripada menjalankan tanggungjawab mereka untuk menyemak imbang dan meneliti tindakan kerajaan sepanjang wabak Covid-19.

Walaupun negara kita berada di tempat pertama dari jumlah kes Covid-19 semasa perintah kawalan pergerakan (PKP) dilaksanakan pada 18 Mac (di mana Malaysia mencatatkan 790 kes, Indonesia 227 kes, dan Filipina 202 kes), kita akhirnya dipintas oleh Filipina pada 13 April apabila negara tersebut mencatatkan 4,932 kes berbanding dengan 4,817 kes di Malaysia. Indonesia memintas negara kedudukan Malaysia pada 15 April apabila negara tersebut mencatatkan 5,136 kes positif berbanding dengan 5,072 kes di Malaysia.

Hari ini, dengan hanya 7,819 kes, kita berada jauh di belakang Indonesia (26,472 kes) dan Filipina (18,086). Kita juga berada dalam kedudukan yang lebih baik dari segi kematian akibat Covid-19 dengan hanya 115 kematian, berbanding dengan 1,613 kematian di Indonesia dan 957 kematian di Filipina.

Bolehkah Perdana Menteri memberikan penjelasan mengapa Parlimen kita dikunci dan Ahli Parlimen dihalang daripada menjalankan tugas mereka dalam menyemak imbang dan meneliti tindakan kerajaan?

Di London, satu krisis politik sedang berlaku apabila tokoh kesihatan awam negara tersebut memberikan amaran kepada Perdana Menteri Boris Johnson yang menyatakan bahawa kepercayaan dan keyakinan terhadap kerajaan telah tercalar berikutan skandal yang disebabkan oleh Dominic Cummings dan perkara ini berpotensi untuk mendatangkan bahaya apabila kawalan pergerakan mula dilonggarkan minggu ini.

Cummings yang merupakan orang kanan Johnson telah mencetuskan skandal kebangsaan apabila beliau dilihat berada di Durham, 264 batu daripada rumah beliau di London sewaktu keseluruhan negara berada di bawah kawalan pergerakan dan beliau sedang mempunyai simptom jangkitan koronavirus.

Bagaimana pula dengan kepercayaan dan keyakinan terhadap kerajaan di Malaysia?

Tanpa menyentuh isu Langkah Sheraton, jelas dapat dilihat sekarang yang Perdana Menteri dan Kabinet pintu belakang ini adalah mereka yang paling kuat “berpolitik” disebalik cubaan mereka untuk menyorokkannya — dengan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yang mendakwa kononnya sejak beliau menjadi Perdana Menteri, tidak sekali pun beliau terfikir mengenai berpolitik kerana rakyat sudah “muak” dengan perkara tersebut.

Kini jelas, sejak menjadi Perdana Menteri pada 1 Mac, Muhyiddin tidak pernah berhenti daripada merancang dan berpolitik walaupun beliau sedar yang rakyat sudah “muak”.

Maka terjadilah hal “berpolitik” seperti berikut:

– Penguncian Parlimen dan pelumpuhan tugas serta tanggungjawab Ahli Parlimen daripada menyemak imbang dan meneliti tindakan kerajaan, terutamanya semasa wabak Covid-19;

– Perbuatan jenayah dalam menyogok Ahli Parlimen untuk memberikan sokongan melalui pemberian jawatan Menteri dan kedudukan di dalam GLC;

– Penyalahgunaan kuasa, rasuah berleluasa, pengembalian kleptokrasi, dan pencabulan hak asasi manusia secara meluas; dan

– Pembatalan keahlian Bersatu Tun Dr Mahathir, Mukhriz Mahathir, Maszlee Malik, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, dan Amiruddin Hamzah yang bertentangan dengan Perlembagaan parti.

Kesemua perbuatan ini hanya membuahkan satu hasil; memusnahkan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat kepada kerajaan, terutamanya ketulusan kerajaan dalam melawan wabak Covid-19 dalam negara kita.

Adakah kerajaan akan memberikan penjelasan sejujurnya mengenai pendedahan rakaman audio berkenaan sogokan jawatan Menteri dan GLC?

Keyakinan dan kepercayaan awam dicalarkan oleh sebuah kerajaan yang kuat “berpolitik”, yang menyembunyikan perbuatan tersebut konon-kononnya demi “kepentingan negara”.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang pada hari Isnin 1 Jun 2020)

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Yesterday, the Thai Parliament passed a RM252 billion economic support package to ease the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which included aid to farmers and informal workers such as street vendors and those employed in massage parlours and bars who have seen their work dry up.

A week ago, the Singapore Parliament passed a $S33 billion supplementary budget aimed primarily at helping workers and businesses to tide over the Covid-19 crisis and the bleak economic outlook ahead.

Called the Fortitude Budget, it is Singapore’s fourth Budget in less than four months after the earlier Unity, Resilience and Solidarity Budgets, totalling close to $S100 billion – or nearly 20 per cent of GDP – to support Singaporeans in the battle against Covid-19 outbreak.

In the Philippines, the House of Representatives has continued to sit, using a combination of remote and face-to-face meetings since 23 March to pass legislation to give the government the necessary tools to fight COVID-19. A parliamentary Defeat COVID-19 Committee has been set up and meets by videoconference at least twice a week.

In Indonesia, the House of Representatives continued to meet focussing on regulations related to the Covid-19 outbreak, such as endorsing a bill revising the Disaster Management Law, which will give more authority to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and increase the minimum budget allocation for disaster management in the state budget.

Only in Malaysia is the Parliament locked down, with Members of Parliament unable to perform their constitutional role to provide oversight and scrutiny of the Executive during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although Malaysia was the leading nation in Southeast Asia in the number of Covid-19 infections when the movement control order (MCO) was imposed on March 18 (when Malaysia had 790 cases, Indonesia 227 cases and Philippines 202 cases), we lost out to Philippines on April 13, when Philippines had a cumulative total of 4,932 infections as compared to Malaysia’s 4,817 cases, and lost out to Indonesia on April 15, when Indonesia recorded a cumulative total of 5,136 cases as against Malaysia’s 5,072 cases.

Today, with 7,819 cases Malaysia is way behind Indonesia (26,473 cases) and Philippines (18,086 cases). We have also done better in terms of Covid-19 deaths: Malaysia (115), Indonesia (1,613) and the Philippines (957).

Can the Prime Minister offer a rational reason why the Malaysian Parliament is locked down and MPs prevented from carrying out their role of oversight and scrutiny of the Executive?

In London, a political crisis is developing with United Kingdom’s top public health leaders warning the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, that trust in government had been shattered by the Dominic Commings affair and posed new danger to life when lockdown measures are lifted this week.

Cummings, Johnson’s top aide, has been embroiled in a scandal after he was seen in Durham, 264 miles from his London home, despite having had coronavirus symptoms.

What about public trust and confidence in government in Malaysia?

Without touching on the ignominous Sheraton Move, it is now clear that the backdoor Prime Minister and Cabinet are the worst offenders in “politicking” although camouflaged initially under very noble terms – with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin claiming that since becoming Prime Minister, he had had not thought about politics as the people were “sick” of it.

It is now clear that since becoming Prime Minister on March 1, Muhyiddin had not stopped thinking about and acting on politics although he knew that the people were “sick” of it.

Hence the following “politicking”:

· The lockup of Parliament and paralysis of MPs’ constitutional role of oversight and scrutiny of the Executive during the pandemic;

· Criminal acts of gratification to induce support by MPs through the enticement of Ministerships and GLC positions;

· Abuses of power, rampant corruption, revival of kleptocracy and widespread of human rights; and

· The unconstitutional “nullification” of the Bersatu membership of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Mukhriz Mahathir, Maszlee Malik, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Amiruddin Hamzah.

All these acts have one result: the shattering of public trust and confidence in the government, especially with regards to its bona fides in the various aspects of the invisible war against Covid-19 outbreak.

Will the government come clean with the surfacing of an audio-recording on the enticement of Ministerships and GLC positions?

Public trust and confidence in Malaysia has been shattered by a government which is the worst offender of “politicking ” although it is camouflaged as “doing national good”!

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang on Monday, 1st June 2020)

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