Proclamation of Emergency should be tabled, debated in Parliament - Malaysian Bar

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar today said the Emergency Ordinances should have been tabled and debated in Parliament.

Its president AG Kalidas said Article 150(3) of the Federal Constitution clearly stipulated that "A Proclamation of Emergency and any ordinance promulgated under Clause (2B) shall be laid before both Houses of Parliament and, if not sooner revoked, shall cease to have effect if resolutions are passed by both Houses annulling such proclamation or ordinance...".

He said the role of Parliament underpinned the values needed for the functioning of a democracy and it must therefore adhere to high standards of integrity when discharging its responsibilities.

"This duty falls squarely on the shoulders of the Cabinet, Members of Parliament and the Speaker of Parliament.

"It is therefore imperative that the Cabinet conveys accurate information during parliamentary sittings to ensure that Parliament can engage in effective and meaningful debates. Under no circumstance whatsoever should Parliament ever be misled, even more so during a global pandemic that has upended and thrown the lives of all those in Malaysia into disarray," he said in a statement today.

He was commenting on the statement issued by the Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara, Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin that Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had expressed his utmost disappointment with the statement made in Parliament last Monday that the government had revoked all Emergency Ordinances under the ongoing emergency without His Majesty's consent.

He said the Malaysian Bar shared His Majesty's dismay over the confusing statements made in Parliament during its recent sittings.

-- BERNAMA