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Earlier this evening, de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan had denied that the government sought the emergency proclamation because it had lost the majority in Parliament, calling such claims “fake news” and saying they were offences.
In reply, Ramkarpal asked whether it would be an offence if the rakyat were to question if the government had the majority support of MPs.
“Is it wrong to ask if this might be connected to the government’s advice to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to declare an emergency?,” he asked.
“Is it wrong for the people to raise this as a valid concern, given the political developments in the country?,” he added in a statement.
Stating that he does not know if the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government had the majority support, Ramkarpal, the chairman of DAP’s national legal bureau, said this was why it was “imperative” that Parliament reconvenes as soon as possible.
He said convening Parliament would allow laws relating to the Covid-19 pandemic to be debated by the Dewan Rakyat. He was confident that laws which help the country contain the spread of the virus would be supported by both sides of the divide.
It was reported yesterday that those who create, publish or distribute fake news would face a fine of up to RM100,000, a jail term of up to three years or both under the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021. The law came into force today.
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