LETTER | Backdoor govt would have fallen yesterday if not for 'aliens'

LETTER | It’s all about them, not about you or the nation! Whatever they do is to consolidate their power and remain in office, whatever may come.

Yesterday, it was absolutely clear that the backdoor government would have fallen. They did not have the numbers and they were desperate to cling on to power.

The block voting after debates on the Federal Territories budget positively confirmed this fact. In the block voting, the results were 110 for, seven against, 31 abstained, and 72 absent. Without the two ‘aliens’, the government’s vote would have been only 108, whereas the opposition would have the support of 110 MPs (7+31+72 = 110). The backdoor government would have surely fallen!

In desperation, the backdoor government resorted to this risk-involving tactic, ignoring the health and safety of MPs to save its skin. The government brought to Parliament home-quarantined MPs to secure their votes in order to continue to remain in power. This was done for selfish reasons.

One may ask, what was the rationale for exposing Parliament to the risk of contamination by bringing in those MPs who were under home quarantine? Dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE), they looked like ‘aliens’ from outer space! Were they adequately identified as those they were claimed to be?

When our frontline healthcare is so badly stretched and in dire need of whatever help that is available and possible, it is unforgivable that an ambulance had to be spared to bring these MPs to Parliament just to vote. It was not a life-or-death matter for the nation requiring these MPs to be present in Parliament yesterday, but it definitely was a life-or-death matter for the government.

As such, rules could be bent, sacrifices could be made at the risk of public health, and an ambulance could be spared.

Ambulance drivers in this instance did not undertake their duty to rush to a house where a person has had a heart attack or to a place where a person had suffered serious injury,  but their services were needed to ferry three MPs because a political coalition was on the brink of collapse. What a crying shame!

According to a Bernama report, “the MPs were brought in an ambulance and upon arrival at Parliament were placed in a special room.” Strangely and suddenly, there was extra space for these three MPs but there was no space for online journalists to cover Parliament proceedings!

Why waste PPE on these people when it is sorely needed for frontliners risking their lives attending to Covid-19 patients?

This is not a caring government; it is not a government for the welfare of the people. It is a government that takes care of politicians who are on its side and who support its survival only.

In this appalling circumstance, the irresponsible actions of the government cannot have any justification whatsoever and must be fully condemned for what they did.

Malaysians would want this government to be defeated and thrown out. Will it happen today during the final vote at its third reading?