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KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — A group of Wangsa Maju voters, led by MP Datin Paduka Dr Tan Yee Kew, have compiled 146 appeal letters addressed to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong seeking for him to end the Emergency early
News portal Malaysiakini reported Tan as saying the intention behind the appeal letters was to inform the Agong of the Emergency’s harm to the constituents’ welfare and interests.
“Due to the suspension of Parliament, we have no platform, and the people have no choice but to submit an application to the king.
“Among the issues raised in the letter are the financial difficulties faced by the people of Wangsa Maju and concerns over the instability of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
“We also appeal to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah to shorten the Emergency time, which does not help curb the pandemic,” Tan was quoted saying in the report.
The PKR lawmaker underscored the need for Malaysia to be governed by a stable government and to be led by a prime minister who enjoys the majority support of Parliamentarians.
Tan was referring to several Umno lawmakers such as veteran Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, and Machang MP Datuk Ahmad who all publicly retracted their support for PN and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin despite their parties being part of the government.
Their withdrawal meant PN no longer possessed the 112 seats needed for a simple majority in Parliament.
“The voters also think that the current government is very weak and unstable, and the Cabinet has also failed to function.
“We are confident that the Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has lost the support of the majority of Parliament,” Tan was quoted saying, referring to the trio’s withdrawal of their support.
“We request the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to use his wisdom and power of the Constitution to help the people and the country by appointing a prime minister who has the support of the majority of the Dewan Rakyat,” Tan added.
However, Tan said the Istana Negara representatives who initially agreed to receive the voters’ appeal letters today have since contacted her to postpone the handover to a date not yet finalised.
According to the report, residents who submitted petitions ranged from professionals, educators, hawkers and small traders, surau and other house of worship representatives, military veterans, former civil servants, and leaders of the respective residents’ associations.
Among the residents of Wangsa Maju who submitted the appeal letters include Kampung Padang Balang village head Rosden Md Yasson, who lamented the residents’ loss of income as a result of the Emergency.
Rosden asserted that the Emergency has resulted in buyers from the Singaporean crops sector overlooking Malaysian suppliers, saying their customers from the city state were among the more prominent clients
“This Emergency causes the income of the citizens to be affected. Our crops are not marketable. Wholesalers from Singapore do not want to buy lemongrass, pineapples and so on. Foreign investors closed their factories, and people are losing hope,” he said.
The village head also questioned why Parliament and state legislative assemblies were not allowed to convene, but crowd-pullers like night markets and supermarkets are permitted to operate.
“Also, state representatives in the state where Covid-19 figures are not active. Why can’t they sit?
“We appeal to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to shorten this emergency period so that the Members of Parliament and assemblypersons, whom we the people have chosen, can discuss issues in this time of crisis,” Rosden added.
Also weighing in was Wangsa Maju resident army veteran Md Mustafa Ghazanfar, a member of the Pertubuhan Kebajikan Pahlawan Malaysia, who said he remained hopeful of their letters and complaints reaching the Agong despite Istana Negara rescheduling today’s meet.
“The current administration is attempting to govern without any respect for the Constitution.
“The palace and royal rulers are the highest authority that we the people can appeal to for an intervention in this issue,” Mustafa said.