He said this was specified under Section 2 of the Emergency Ordinance (Essential Powers) 2021, which states that a special independent committee would be set up to advise the King on the future of the emergency, based on the Covid-19 pandemic situation.
As such, Takiyuddin said the Perikatan Nasional government acknowledges all existing legal mechanisms pertaining to the emergency including the special committee, and that it has never interfered in its operations.
He said the government had never interfered with the duty of the committee in advising the King on whether to extend the emergency proclamation after Aug 1.
“We acknowledge their duties under the Emergency Ordinance and we will definitely provide our full cooperation to the committee,” he said in a statement to clarify the ongoing debate in the media.
In the meantime, Takiyuddin said the executive would continue to perform its role in fighting Covid-19, as specified in the same ordinance.
“We need to stick to our respective roles and functions, stipulated under the country’s laws,” he added.
Earlier today, two members in the special committee, PKR’s Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Umno’s Noh Omar, questioned Takiyuddin over his remarks that the Cabinet will advise the King on whether to extend the emergency beyond Aug 1.
Saifuddin asked the government if the Cabinet members had “taken over” the special committee’s job.
Noh Omar said Cabinet ministers appeared to be making decisions at their whims and fancies these days as Parliament is not functioning.
In his statement yesterday, Takiyuddin said the issue on whether the emergency would lapse on Aug 1 or otherwise being the sole prerogative of the King should not arise.
Meanwhile, Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Azalina Othman Said called out Takiyuddin in a tweet for purportedly “shifting goalposts” on the issue concerning extension of the emergency.
In an immediate response to this, Takiyuddin said no one was shifting goalposts as claimed, adding that the rules of games were “corrected” to enable the referee to make a fair judgment.
“Scoring goals does not mean the goalposts have been shifted,” he said on Twitter.
Azalina responded by saying that “changing the rules” in the middle of the game had denied a fair game to both sides.
“Everyone plays to win. But to win at all cost, regardless of existing rules, is unethical.
“This makes the referee look bad,” Azalina said.
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