Published on: Sunday, July 18, 2021
By: Jamari Mohtar
Text Size:
Muhyiddin
WHILE the frontliners are working very hard to prevent the collapse of the healthcare system in light of the increasing number of Covid-19 daily infections in the three states, Umno is working very hard to ensure the collapse of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government helmed by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
In early January, the government had a majority of 112 over the Opposition’s 108 – the total comes up to 220 seats instead of 222 because of the death of two MPs.
There are a total of 222 seats in the Malaysian parliament, making 111 as the number that denotes a hung parliament. Any political party or coalition that garners more than 111 seats forms a majority government even if the majority is of one seat.
Advertisement
Malaysia’s king has declared a state of emergency in order to curb an escalation of cases of COVID-19, which will suspend parliament and prevent any elections until at least August. King Al-Sultan Abdullah issued the unexpected order after consenting to a request from embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who continues to be besieged by domestic political challenges.
The emergency will be in place until August 1, or until the pandemic is under control. During that time, Muhyiddin and his cabinet will be granted extraordinary powers, including the right to approve laws without parliamentary approval.
In an address to the nation on January 12, Muhyiddin announced that an independent committee would be formed to tackle the COVID-19 scourge, including health experts and parliamentarians from both sides of the aisle. “It is my duty as the head of government to take care of the lives of the people and protect you from the coronavirus,” Muhyiddin said.