YOURSAY | The real meaning of ‘as soon as possible’

YOURSAY | ‘The nation cannot afford to wait up to September for Parliament to reopen.’

Parliament reopening: September is soon, Takiyuddin argues

Poppy: De facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan is right as no date was agreed upon on the opening of Parliament. “Soon” is a general term.

The emergency should have been lifted immediately. Not kept to the date given - Aug 1. So now, it appears the present administration has the excuse to delay the opening of Parliament after August.

On the second part of his statement of needing a stable government capable of handling this crisis, the question arises as whether this is the government or we need a new administration to lead, which has not been answered.

We need definite answers and not vague statements - when exactly should Parliament reopen and who should lead this nation out of this Covid-19 and economic crisis?

Takiyuddin, you seem to be more concerned with the protection of your position. You seem to have no concern for the welfare of the nation. Some 4,000 people have died, and at the rate of 50 a day, there will be another 1,500 lives lost within 30 days.

Besides that, hundreds of thousands are already jobless. With this further closing down of the economic sector, there will be hundreds of thousands more who will join the queue.

The nation cannot afford to wait until September. We need to get organised faster. So, if you and your boss really care for this nation, both of you will move faster to open up Parliament as well as the economy.

If you cannot perform, please let others take over. Do not let the nation and its people suffer any longer.

Gerard Lourdesamy: The statement of the Council of Rulers in paragraph eight used the words "segera bersidang" for Parliament and "secepat mungkin" for the state assemblies. The Agong in his statement in paragraph two used the words "secepat mungkin" for Parliament.

The former means "immediately" and the latter "as soon as possible". "Immediately" means "at once" or "instantly", and "as soon as possible" means "at the earliest convenience" or "earliest possible time". But it can also mean "immediately".

Takiyuddin should consult both the Kamus Dewan and the Oxford Dictionary if he is confused. What the Agong and the rulers are saying is that Parliament and the state assemblies should be convened immediately.

If the federal government wants to obfuscate and disobey the Agong, the state governments should proceed with the meetings of their respective state assemblies.

Takiyuddin should also remember that the Agong has absolute discretion in the appointment of the PM and the dissolution of Parliament under the Federal Constitution.

If he is not convinced that Muhyiddin Yassin has the support of the majority in the Dewan Rakyat, he can ask the PM to resign or vacate his office if he refuses.

Alternatively, the Agong can dissolve Parliament and call for fresh elections. He is not required to act on advice under both circumstances.

Takiyuddin's insolent and injudicious remarks confirm that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government has lost its majority and wants to continue to rule the country under the emergency as a dictatorship.

Malaysia Bharu: Takiyuddin’s interpretation of the Agong’s second call to accelerate the reconvening of Parliament borders on defiance and trying to wiggle his way out of the Agong's clear directive.

The fact that the Agong has not mentioned PN’s ‘recovery plan’ as the basis for Parliament to reconvene “as soon as possible” makes a mockery of Takiyuddin’s interpretation.

Contrary to the terms of the 'recovery plan', the Agong’s call for Parliament's functioning is unconditional. The extension of emergency rule beyond Aug 1 is also forbidden.

The rulers have clearly stated their concerns regarding the country's state of affairs due to weaknesses in the PN administration and the need for checks and balances, good governance, economic and political stability and the urgent need to arrest the chaotic spread of Covid-19 through more efficient handling of the vaccination programme.

Parliament has to function for these changes to take effect. The ball is in Takiyuddin’s court. He spurns it at his own peril.

BusinessFirst: Sir, you have either accidentally or deliberately misconstrued the king's command. His Majesty said to have Parliament sit "as soon as possible". Not to sit anytime "soon".

The "as possible" means unless impossible to convene Parliament, you convene now and upon the requisite notice being given, Parliament then sits. That is “as soon as possible” - give or take one or two days, perhaps to draft the relevant documents and the notice period does not end on a public holiday.

Please, you are law minister aside from competence, prudence is also required as well as loyalty to king and country above party and self.

Kuniyo: Now you know why they are so slow and incompetent. Because they live with different timeline – ‘urgent’ means ‘three months’.

It also confirmed that the emergency is not to fight Covid-19 but for political survival. The only country in the world that suspended Parliament to fight Covid-19 ended up worse than before.

They used Covid-19 and royalty to justify emergency and when that doesn’t hold up any more, they spin the facts again.

Why so afraid to reopen Parliament? Because they will lose position once it reopens.

Oxymoronic Tendencies: As you might expect from a PN minister, this clever man wants to play with words to suit PN’s narrative.

Although I note with interest that he suggests September for Parliament as opposed to his boss who, just a day earlier, suggested September/October (October!). What a difference a day makes.

I wonder if PN truly believes that it can defy the wishes of the Agong and the rulers for three months. I suspect not. I certainly hope not.

One thing seems certain (well, as certain as anything in Malaysian politics can be), the emergency will not be extended past Aug 1.

As always, the machinations in Malaysian politics are fascinating to observe and entirely unpredictable.

Anonymous_15897060865429524: Three months to Takiyuddin is ‘soon’? No wonder nothing gets done on time. 

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