Opposition gathering, a futile attempt to convene Parliament

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Human Ecology Faculty lecturer Associate Prof Dr Mohd Izani Mohd Zain said their action was only to gain public attention especially the international community.

"This assembly was clearly in violation of the standard operating procedure and the physical distancing requirement. It is feared that these MPs could influence other groups after this to hold more gatherings and breach the SOP.

"This should not be happening as COVID-19 infection cases are still high. The objective cannot justify defying the SOP...as I said before, are these politicians immune to COVID-19,?" he said when contacted by Bernama today.

Today, a group of opposition MPs attempted to enter Parliament building compound and insisted on resuming the special sitting even though it has been postponed on the advice of the Ministry of Health following the spread of COVID-19.

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies senior lecturer at Raub Campus, Pahang, Dr Che Hamdan Che Mohd Razali said the action of the MPs was to pressure Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

"They have respectively weighed the pros and cons of the action. But we could see how the greed of political players could give a bad image and example not only to the people but also the international community.

"For politicians, they look from the impact from the number of MPs who gathered this morning to show the extent of support for the opposition block," he said.

A political and social media analyst from UiTM Shah Alam, Selangor, Associate Prof Dr Sara Chinnasamy stressed that the action of the opposition leaders who assembled as a protest following the postponement of Parliament sitting could endanger many others.

"Instead of putting the people lives' first, the followers who joined the protest are at risk, the opposition needs to put politics aside and work for the betterment of the nation and the people especially during this crucial time as COVID-19 cases continue to rise," she said.

UPM Epidemiology expert Associate Prof Dr Malina Osman however viewed the gathering should not have taken place now to avoid sparking a new COVID-19 cluster.

"At the moment, for those who wish to contribute to the good of the nation need to come together to find the strategy in solving the COVID-19 pandemic and not to find faults. They have to think about the best for country and the government at the same time should be open to discussion towards seeking solutions," she said.