(Tatal ke bawah untuk kenyataan versi BM)
Why is the Attorney-General Tan Sri Idris Harun evading the question whether he would prosecute anyone for alleging that the emergency was declared because the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had lost the majority in Parliament.
This question has become pertinent because of two contradictory statements by Cabinet Ministers: firstly, the assurance by the Communication and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah yesterday that the government will differentiate between criticism and fake news; and secondly, the statement by the de facto Law Minister, Takiyuddin Hassan in an earlier joint press conference with Saifuddin that it would be a criminal offence under Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021 for anyone to allege that Muhyiddin had an emergency declared because he had lost majority in Parliament and would be liable to be fined up to RM100,000, jailed up to three years or both.
Which is which? Would Saifuddin or Takiyuddin’s view prevail?
The assurance by Saifuddin that the purpose of the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021 is not to curb media freedom and prevent any parties from criticising the government is of no value unless the Attorney-General makes his position clear whether he would prosecute any person under the fake news Emergency Ordinance for alleging that the proclamation of emergency was made because Muhyiddin had lost his majority in Parliament.
I had asked whether nephrologist Dr.Rafidah Abdullah and the three Pakatan Harapan leaders, Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng and Mohd Sabu would be charged under the fake news emergency ordinance, the former for her tweet about the problem of “Dua Darjat 2.0” in the national vaccination roll-out and the latter for their joint statement of January 12 on the Emergency Proclamation.
Although such prosecution would be problematic because of the problem of retrospective effect of the Ordinance, the relevant and pertinent issue was whether the Ordinance was designed to prevent future tweets like the one by Dr. Rafidah Abdullah on “Dua Darjat 2.0” in the national vaccination rollout or future media statements like the one issued by the three Pakatan Harapan leaders on January 12.
Why is the Muhyiddin Government evading these questions, as well as whether and when the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021 was presented to the Cabinet for approval and why the Cabinet did not suggest that before the Ordinance was gazetted, that there should be a period of public feedback from interested organisations and individuals?
All political parties in Malaysia want the Covid-19 pandemic to end as early as possible and want to see a successful rollout of the Covid-19 national vaccination campaign.
In fact, the authorities should take a leaf from President Biden of United States, who announced that every American adult would be eligible for a coronavirus vaccination by May 1 and set the July 4 Independence Day as a target for a return to some normality.
What can Malaysians look forward to on National Day on August 31 and Malaysia Day on Sept. 16, 2021?
I have advocated the acceleration of the Covid-19 national vaccination rollout to shorten the timeline for its completion so that normality and economic restoration can be activated in the third or four quarter of this year.
Are the authorities working on this possibility?
Instead, we have the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021 on fake news on Covid-19 and the emergency proclamation, which is most divisive, disruptive and subversive of public trust and confidence.
A Cabinet Minister has said that “seven or eight more” Opposition MPs will defect to support the Prime Minister.
Why is then the continuing refusal to convene Parliament, especially as the Yang di Pertuan Agong has made it very clear that Parliament can be convened under an emergency to enable Parliament to perform its “check-and-balance” role on the Executive?
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 14th March 2021)
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Mengapakah Peguam Negara mengelakkan persoalan mengenai sama ada beliau akan mendakwa sesiapa yang mengatakan bahawa darurat diisytiharkan kerana Muhyiddin telah kehilangan majoriti di Parlimen di bawah ordinan darurat berita palsu
Mengapakah Peguam Negara, Tan Sri Idris Harun mengelakkan persoalan mengenai sama ada beliau akan mendakwa sesiapa yang mengatakan bahawa darurat diisytiharkan kerana Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin telah kehilangan majoriti di Parlimen di bawah ordinan darurat berita palsu
Persoalan ini menjadi relevan kerana dua kenyataan yang berbeza yang diberikan oleh Menteri Kabinet: pertama, jaminan oleh Menteri Komunikasi dan Multimedia Saifuddin Abdullah semalam bahawa kerajaan akan membezakan antara kritikan dan berita palsu; dan kedua, kenyataan oleh Menteri Undang-undang, Takiyuddin Hassan dalam sidang media bersama sebelumnya dengan Saifuddin bahawa menjadi satu kesalahan jenayah di bawah Ordinan Darurat (Kuasa-kuasa Perlu) (No. 2) 2021 bagi sesiapa yang mengatakan bahawa Muhyiddin mendapatkan pengisytiharan darurat kerana kerajaan beliau telah kehilangan majoriti di Parlimen dan tertuduh boleh dikenakan denda sehingga RM100,000, penjara sehingga tiga tahun atau kedua-duanya sekali.
Yang mana satu yang betul? Saifuddin atau Takiyuddin?
Jaminan oleh Saifuddin bahawa tujuan Ordinan Darurat (Kuasa-kuasa Perlu) (No. 2) 2021 bukanlah untuk mengekang kebebasan media dan menghalang mana-mana pihak daripada mengkritik kerajaan tidak mempunyai sebarang nilai, melainkan sekiranya Peguam Negara menjelaskan pendiriannya sama ada beliau akan mendakwa mana-mana orang di bawah Ordinan Darurat berita palsu kerana menuduh bahawa pengisytiharan darurat dibuat kerana Muhyiddin telah kehilangan majoriti di Parlimen.
Saya telah bertanya sama ada pakar nefrologi Dr. Rafidah Abdullah dan tiga pemimpin Pakatan Harapan, Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng dan Mohd Sabu akan didakwa dengan ordinan darurat berita palsu, Dr Rafidah kerana ciapan beliau mengenai masalah “Dua Darjat 2.0” semasa pelancaran program vaksinasi kebangsaan manakala pemimpin PH pula kerana kenyataan bersama mereka pada 12 Januari mengenai Proklamasi Darurat.
Walaupun pendakwaan seperti itu akan bermasalah kerana masalah kesan retrospektif Ordinan ini, persoalan yang penting dan relevan adalah adakah Ordinan ini dirancang untuk mencegah ciapan seperti mana yang dibuat oleh Dr Rafidah atau kenyataan seperti yang dikeluarkan oleh tiga orang pemimpin Pakatan Harapan tersebut di masa hadapan.
Mengapakah Kerajaan Muhyiddin mengelak persoalan-persoalan ini, dan juga persoalan sama ada Ordinan Darurat (Kuasa-kuasa Perlu) (No. 2) 2021 ini telah dibentangkan kepada Kabinet untuk diluluskan dan mengapa Kabinet tidak mencadangkan bahawa sebelum Ordinan ini diwartakan, perlu ada tempoh maklum balas orang ramai dari organisasi dan individu yang berminat?
Semua parti politik di Malaysia mahu wabak Covid-19 berakhir seawal mungkin dan ingin melihat kejayaan kempen vaksinasi nasional Covid-19.
Malah, pihak berwajib perlu mengambil iktibar daripada Presiden Amerika Syarikat Joe Biden, yang mengumumkan bahawa setiap orang dewasa di Amerika akan layak menerima vaksinasi Covid-19 menjelang 1 Mei dan menetapkan Hari Kemerdekaan 4 Julai sebagai sasaran untuk kehidupan mula kembali normal.
Apa yang boleh diharapkan oleh rakyat Malaysia menjelang sambutan Hari Kebangsaan pada 31 Ogos dan Hari Malaysia pada 16 September 2021?
Saya telah menyeru pemercepatan program vaksinasi Covid-19 kebangsaan untuk menyegerakan jangka masa pelaksanaannya supaya proses kehidupan normal dan pemulihan ekonomi dapat dimulakan bermula pada suku ketiga atau empat tahun ini.
Adakah pihak berkuasa sedang mengusahakan perkara ini?
Sebaliknya, apa yang kita dapat adalah Ordinan Darurat (Kuasa-kuasa Perlu) (No. 2) 2021 mengenai berita palsu berkaitan dengan Covid-19 dan pengisytiharan darurat, satu perkara yang paling memecah belah, mengganggu dan meruntuhkan kepercayaan dan keyakinan masyarakat.
Seorang Menteri Kabinet telah mengatakan bahawa “tujuh atau lapan lagi” Ahli Parlimen Pembangkang akan melompat untuk menyokong Perdana Menteri.
Mengapa penolakan berterusan untuk mengadakan sidang Parlimen, terutamanya selepas Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong telah mengatakan dengan jelas sekali bahawa Parlimen boleh bersidang semasa darurat, untuk membolehkan Parlimen melaksanakan peranan semak imbangnya kepada pihak Eksekutif?
(Kenyataan media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Ahad, 14 Mac 2021)