Mic To Speaker Don T Get Carried Away By Opposition S Political Games

---

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof has been urged not to get carried away by the Pakatan Harapan parliamentarians and the “games” they are trying to play
MIC vice-president, C Sivarraajh (photo), said the speaker should consider the implications of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, especially given the current situation of the country
“I would like to advise the speaker not to get carried away by the political melodrama being played by the Opposition parliamentarians
“I am sure the speaker knows that if the motion succeeds, Muhyiddin can not only resign but he can also advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to hold a general election
“The question is, are we ready to hold a general election right now?” Sivarraajh said in a statement today
He also advised the speaker not to repeat past mistakes, when Ariff had removed him from the Dewan Rakyat even though he was still legally the Cameron Highlands MP at that time
Sivarraajh’s victory in the Cameron Highlands seat in the 2018 general election was declared null and void by the Election Court in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 30, 2018, after the court ruled that there were corrupt practices which led to him winning the seat
Sivarraajh also said that even if Muhyiddin were to prove that he has the support to remain as prime minister, he said the Opposition will continue to bring up this issue from time to time for their political interests
“It is as if it is a trend among the Opposition parliamentarians to play up this issue even though Muhyiddin formed the government legally,” said Sivarraajh
He is confident, he said, that the Dewan Rakyat sitting on May 18 will focus more on the rakyat’s agenda and not the “never-ending partisan politics”
“The speaker should give priority to government business in the Dewan Rakyat to ensure that the rakyat’s agenda is given attention to in the administration of the country,” he said
As such, he urged the speaker to be stricter towards MPs who disturb government business, especially in such uncertain times as the country is facing the Covid-19 pandemic
On the other hand, the Agora Society had said in a separate statement that they welcome the news that the speaker has accepted the no-confidence motion, which was submitted by Langkawi MP Dr Mahathir Mohamad, against Muhyiddin
When Muhyiddin was first sworn in as prime minister in March this year, they said they had called for a parliamentary sitting as soon as possible to ascertain the legitimacy of the new government as they believed it was the best way to resolve the political impasse, maintain transparency and safeguard the constitutional monarchy at the same time
“Having said that, we are puzzled by the fact that the no-confidence motion was not tabled by the leader of the Opposition
“Traditionally, such motion is tabled by the leader of the Opposition and this is why former MP Hee Loy Sian withdrew his confidence motion in 2015 to make way for the leader of the Opposition’s confidence motion,” the intellectuals, writers and activists group said in their statement
Mahathir had made a “grave mistake”, they said, by inviting the Agong to interview MPs directly to determine the new prime minister
They said this move had brought the monarch into disrepute and severely undermined Malaysia’s constitutional foundations as a result
Despite all that, they said that if a vote of no-confidence should take place on May 18, all MPs must be present in the Dewan Rakyat to perform their duty as part of the legislative
“Meanwhile, civil society, the general public and the media are duty-bound to monitor closely the process from now on to ensure that no monetary rewards are involved in this season of rampant bargaining and political horse-trading,” they said. - Mkini

---