Pada 16 Jun lalu Yang di-Pertuan Agong menzahirkan pandangan bahawa parlimen perlu bersidang segera.Titah tersebut bagaimanapun menimbulkan persoalan undang-undang penting: adakah dalam tempoh darurat, baginda terikat kepada nasihat perdana menteri termasuk berkaitan sidang parlimen.
Hal itu kerana Perkara 40 (1) Perlembagaan Persekutuan menyatakan Agong bertindak atas nasihat Perdana Menteri. Maka adakah pernyataan tersebut terikat dengan nasihat berkenaan?
Bagi menjawab persoalan ini, adalah perlu untuk kita merujuk kepada peruntukan Seksyen 14 (1) (b) Ordinan Darurat (Kuasa-kuasa Perlu) 2021 secara in verbatim menyatakan:
“Parlimen hendaklah dipanggil, diprorog dan dibubarkan pada suatu tarikh sebagaimana yang difikirkan sesuai oleh Yang di-Pertuan Agong”.
Peruntukan ini sangat jelas dan tiada kekaburan (unambiguous) bahawa kuasa mutlak terletak pada Agong untuk memanggil sidang Parlimen. Maka dekri Agong itu adalah sah.
Namun keadaan ini mewujudkan percanggahan undang-undang kerana perlembagaan menyatakan Agong bertindak atas nasihat perdana menteri tetapi Ordinan Darurat memberikan kuasa kepada baginda untuk memanggil sidang parlimen. Maka apabila berlaku percanggahan di antara peruntukan Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan Ordinan Darurat, undang-undang manakah yang mengatasi dan terpakai?
Jawapannya ialah Ordinan Darurat mengatasi dan terpakai. Justeru Agong berkuasa mutlak memanggil sidang parlimen tanpa terikat dengan nasihat Perdana Menteri berdasarkan peruntukan undang-undang berikut:
i) Perkara 150 (6) dan (6A) Perlembagaan Persekutuan menyatakan mana-mana peruntukan dalam Akta Parlimen yang diluluskan sebagai undang-undang darurat tidak dianggap batal walaupun bertentangan dengan perlembagaan kecuali berkaitan perkara agama, adat istiadat Melayu, bumiputera Sabah dan Sarawak, kewarganegaraan atau bahasa.
ii) Mahkamah Persekutuan dalam kes Eng Keok Cheng lwn Pendakwa Raya memutuskan bahawa Akta Darurat (1964) adalah sah dan mengatasi perlembagaan. Dalam kes ini, tertuduh didapati bersalah memiliki senjata api dan dihukum gantung mengikut Akta Darurat (1964).
Hujah bahawa Akta Darurat ini tidak sah kerana bertentangan dengan Perkara 8(1) Perlembagaan Persekutuan tidak diterima panel hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan dan mereka memutuskan semasa darurat, apa sahaja undang-undang boleh dibuat walaupun bertentangan dengan perlembagaan.
Berdasarkan hujah di atas saya berpendapat bahawa dekri Agong bahawa parlimen perlu dipanggil bersidang segera hendaklah dilaksanakan secepat mungkin oleh kerajaan PN sebagai badan eksekutif mengikut Ordinan Darurat (2021). Dekri Agong bahawa sidang Parlimen dipanggil "secepat mungkin" adalah jelas dan tidak mempunyai maksud berlainan (unambiguous).
Oleh itu, menurut Peraturan 11 (2) Peraturan-peraturan Majlis Mesyuarat Dewan Rakyat, perdana menteri sebagai ketua majlis mesyuarat hendaklah memberikan notis penetapan tarikh sidang parlimen tanpa sebarang kelengahan. Jika tidak, PN bukan sahaja dilihat kerajaan gagal, tetapi derhaka kepada dekri Agong. - Faiz Fadzil.mk
Sekarang dah jadi Kerajaan pasai apa tak buat live ? Bagilah 1 jam dia buat live...
Mampuih pening kepala org mendengaq siap jadi gila pasai tanya lain, dia jawab lain...
Time to send this government packing...
Every time Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (if that is still his name) sallies forth with a pronouncement on the state of the nation, he provokes a frenzy of disbelief, confusion and anger. His recent announcement that Parliament can only be reconvened after at least 40% of the nation has been fully vaccinated is a case in point.
What has the 40% target got to do with reconvening Parliament? It might be germane if he was talking about a general election – everybody agrees that it would be foolish to hold another election until at least a significant part of the population has been vaccinated – but to link vaccinations and herd immunity to the functioning of Parliament is simply preposterous. Clearly, the prime minister is desperate, stalling for time and running out of excuses. He is more fearful of Parliament than the pandemic.
Such is his standing that his pandemic exit strategy was immediately panned by economists warning of economic ruin and even political chaos. Plainly, people have lost all confidence in the government’s ability to manage the pandemic and the attendant social and economic fallout. It is no longer just about their legitimacy but about their competency in managing arguably the worst crisis we’ve ever experienced.
In any case, the rulers have now sent an unequivocal message to the prime minister: it’s time for Parliament to start functioning again. Since the rulers’ meeting, politicians, lawyers and columnists have gone into overdrive analysing what the monarch can and cannot do under the Constitution. Some have suggested the monarch can demand that Parliament reconvene while others insist that the monarch can dismiss the prime minister and appoint someone else.
They may be missing the point. The rulers know full well the extent of their powers under the Constitution. What the rulers have done is send a very carefully crafted message to the prime minister that...
1. They are not happy with the way he has managed things thus far,
2. They see no reason for Parliament to remain shuttered, and
3. They will not countenance an extension of the emergency beyond August 1st.
What it means is that Muhyiddin can no longer hide behind the declaration of emergency; he must face his peers in Parliament and be accountable to them. Perikatan Nasional leaders are now in an untenable position; failure to reconvene Parliament will be seen by the nation as disrespecting the rulers. Already, their bungling and discourteous response to the rulers have infuriated many.
With the reconvening of Parliament all but a forgone conclusion now, PN ministers are insisting that the opposition should not use the opportunity to wrest power from the government. Hishammuddin Hussein, who has suddenly become very hyper, said that calls for reopening parliament cannot be used as a tool to gain political power. He went on to call on MPs to unite behind the government’s national recovery plan for the sake of the people. What a pathetic, self-serving statement!
It makes no sense to unite behind a leader that has proven himself completely incompetent and incapable of steering the country out of the present crisis. Nothing will change – whether Parliament sits or not – if the present administration remains in office. Any national recovery plan must begin with the exit of this government. We are running out of time. We are going deeper into debt. Businesses are closing. Thousands of jobs are being lost. People are hurting and getting increasingly desperate.
It is time for Parliament to unite to bring down this incompetent administration at the earliest opportunity through a vote of no confidence. Send the whole bunch of ministers in Muhyiddin’s bloated, fractious and ineffectual cabinet packing. Only a new government under a new leader can chart a new course for the nation, restore confidence and implement the kind of measures that are needed to quickly manage the pandemic and get the economy going again.
Replacing such a hopelessly incompetent government is no longer an option but a sacred duty.The rulers have spoken. The people have spoken. It’s time for Parliament to act. - Dennis Ignatius
MCO woes: how retirees
are coping with the pandemic...
It has been more than a year since Malaysians have had to embrace, albeit reluctantly, the new normal that the Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated. While some have eased into the socially-distanced lifestyle relatively well, others are struggling with the psychological effects of prolonged home quarantine, masking-up when outside and constantly sanitising their hands.
These restrictions and precautions have given rise to depression, anxiety, domestic violence and in some extreme situations, suicide. The older fraction of society, particularly retirees, have not been spared.
FMT recently reached out to this group to gain an insight into their personal experiences living and coping with numerous movement control orders (MCO) and travel bans.
Fathol Zaman bin Bukhari is a retired commander of the Regiment of the Territorial Army (Rejimen Askar Wataniah). The 72-year-old served Malaysia for 30 years and founded Ipoh Echo in 2005, a community newspaper distributed to Perakians for free.
Having retired from Ipoh Echo, Zaman was all set for some much-needed downtime until Covid-19 struck across the world. “I was looking forward to traveling to Indonesia, Japan and Australia but Covid-19 spoiled my plans. Now, I can’t even visit my sons in Kuala Lumpur or my relatives in Penang,” Zaman bemoaned.
Zaman has also had to deal with the sadness of seeing six of his closest friends pass on due to Covid-19. Being one who also falls in the high-risk category, he is consciously doing his best to stay positive during this dark period.
“My wife and I follow the SOPs, avoid crowded places and stay active by exercising every morning. I keep myself occupied by reading and watching TV,” Zaman said.
Although it has been many months since meeting up with his children, Zaman has had to adapt to the newer ways of staying connected with them.
“It’s very simple nowadays, I just WhatsApp or video call them when I miss them. Still, there’s nothing like meeting them face-to-face”.
In similar circumstances, 77-year-old retired physics teacher Steven (not his real name) used to teach in the Netherlands but chose to enjoy his retirement here in Malaysia. Being a nature lover, Steven felt compelled to move to Malaysia because of its “people, nature, climate and food.”
Prior to the various MCOs, he used to spend a vast amount of his time birding and visiting waterfalls across the country. These days however, he, like many others, is struggling with depression.
“It has not been easy to adapt to the restrictions on outdoor activities. I am naturally a very outdoorsy and sociable person and the lack of social contact has taken a toll on me. “There were days when I thought to myself, why wake up?” he lamented.
Thankfully, with love and support from family and friends, Steven now spends his time hiking near his neighbourhood and has taken to sharpening his cooking skills.
“I know it is difficult now but I’m looking forward to visiting the Netherlands, Iceland and China once all this is over. “I can’t wait to go on a waterfall hike with my gang and enjoy some good food with them just like the old times.” Continue reading...
cheers.
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