Emergency because Muhyiddin not confident of winning vote for Budget in Parliament - DAP

KUALA LUMPUR: The declaration of emergency as sought by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has proven that the Pagoh Member of Parliament (MP) has lost the majority.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng stressed that Muhyiddin's action also proved that he did not have the confidence to win the 2021 Budget vote in Parliament.

Guan Eng said the statement by the Minister of Federal Territories Tan Sri Annuar Musa seemed to acknowledge that the exercise of emergency powers was to avoid elections which indirectly acknowledged efforts to protect the position of those in power.

“This clearly has no relation to COVID-19 when a report from The Star owned by MCA openly acknowledged that the declaration of an emergency is to prevent the 2021 Budget from being defeated and to temporarily halt "political activity".

“The Star has written that the 2021 Budget will be tabled to the Cabinet and can be passed without a vote from all 222 MPs, as Parliament is no longer functioning in an emergency.

"The effect of the emergency is that it will centralise power to the Prime Minister by sacrificing Parliament, damaging the economy and causing severe loss of confidence," he said in a statement on Saturday.

Therefore, Guan Eng urged Muhyiddin to resign due to his failure to fully implement home quarantine for those returning from Sabah following the State Election on September 26, 2020.

"On the other hand, he and the Perikatan Nasional have chosen to undermine parliamentary democracy by attempting to declare a state of emergency to sacrifice the people and the country's economy in order to save himself and maintain power in any way," he added.

The MP for Bagan said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the last hope of the people to avoid the inappropriate announcement of the emergency.

"Malaysians are hoping and praying for a decision where the voices of ordinary people can be heard," he said.