KUALA LUMPUR: As rumours swirl of a possible state of emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia, opposition politicians have cried foul over such measures.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Anwar Ibrahim expressed his deep concern on reports that the Malaysian government, led by Mr Muhyiddin Yassin, is seeking to implement emergency measures which he said would curb the parliamentary process.
"Today, we have a government which lacks legitimacy, and which knows it would fail to demonstrate majority support in parliament, and is using the COVID-19 crisis as an excuse to justify its abuse of power," the opposition leader said in a press statement on Friday (Oct 23).
Mr Anwar, who leads the Pakatan Harapan (PH) bloc in parliament against Mr Muhyiddin's Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, strongly advised the latter to consider the legacy of his actions.
He said while the rest of Asia was looking for ways to manage the virus and reopen their economies, Malaysia was heading in the opposite direction.
Earlier on Friday, Mr Muhyiddin had chaired a special Cabinet meeting in Putrajaya. Following that, he sought an audience with King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah at the latter's palace in Kuantan, Pahang.
Speculation was rife that he was there to convey the Cabinet's decision to implement an emergency in Malaysia amid widespread COVID-19 infections and political instability.
COVID-19 cases in Malaysia have surged to 24,514, with 710 new cases and 10 deaths reported on Friday. There are currently 8,416 active cases in treatment.
Describing the state of emergency as "undemocratic means" to stay in power, Mr Anwar, who had claimed he has a convincing majority to take over the government, said what was needed to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic was transparency, accountability and firm action from the various government ministries.
Mr Mohamad Sabu, the leader of PH component Parti Amanah Negara, said in a separate statement that there were already laws which could be used to fight the pandemic effectively, without needing to declare a nationwide emergency.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Friday (Oct 23) arrived at Istana Abdul Aziz in Kuantan, the capital of eastern Pahang state, for an audience with the King, Malaysian media reported.
Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah is also the ruler of Pahang.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin on Friday morning chaired a special Cabinet meeting in Putrajaya to decide on emergency measures to ensure that the upcoming budget session in Parliament does not result in snap elections if it fails to pass.
Mr Muhyiddin holds a slim majority in Parliament, and failure to pass the budget would be tantamount to a no-confidence vote in his government and could trigger a snap poll. A general election, however amid Malaysia's resurgent wave of coronavirus infections, could prove disastrous.
Sources with knowledge of these discussions told The Straits Times that an "economic emergency" could be proclaimed to ensure that government spending to curb Covid-19 - which has seen total cases doubling this month alone - is not jeopardised by an increasingly unstable political atmosphere.
"It will not be similar to the curfews and military presence we had after the 1969 race riots.
"Instead, normal life under the movement control order (MCO) will continue, without politics getting in the way of dealing with a health crisis," said one source on the condition of anonymity as the matters are official government secrets.
A top ministerial aide told ST that the Cabinet's decision to invoke emergency powers was brought to the National Security Council meeting on Friday afternoon.
"The special Cabinet meeting was to ensure we have a Budget 2021 that can be implemented. We have to wait for the PM’s audience with the King," he said, refusing to comment further on the agenda.
Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, who recently claimed that he has sufficient support in Parliament to form a new government, criticised the plan, saying Mr Muhyiddin’s administration was using the Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to justify its abuse of power.
“The government has failed to provide strong leadership in handling this crisis and is instead resorting to undemocratic means to stay in power,” said Datuk Seri Anwar in a statement on Friday.
The special Cabinet meeting on Friday morning was attended by the Armed Forces chief, Inspector-General of Police and Attorney-General.
ST understands that they were consulted earlier in the week after high-level meetings saw health officials vehemently put forward their case to ensure that national elections do not happen until the outbreak is contained.
Election Commission chief Abdul Ghani Salleh also said on Oct 13 that "in the light of the outbreak, we urge, if possible, that no election be held during this period".
The Federal Constitution allows for an emergency to be called under Article 150, with the consent of the King.
ST understands that several state rulers - nine monarchs who take turns as Malaysia's king every five years - have been made aware of the possibility of special powers being conferred on PM Muhyiddin's government.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Cabinet was locked in a special meeting on Friday (Oct 23) morning to decide on emergency measures to ensure that the upcoming budget session in Parliament does not result in snap elections amid the resurgent wave of coronavirus infections.
Sources with knowledge of these options told The Straits Times that an "economic emergency" could be proclaimed to ensure that government spending to curb Covid-19 - which has seen total cases doubling this month alone - is not jeopardised by an increasingly unstable political atmosphere.
"It will not be similar to the curfews and military presence we had after the 1969 race riots.
"Instead, normal life under the Movement Control Order (MCO) will continue, without politics getting in the way of dealing with a health crisis," said one source on the condition of anonymity as the matters are official government secrets.
A top ministerial aide told ST that the Cabinet's decision to invoke emergency powers has now been brought to the National Security Council meeting on Friday afternoon.
"The special Cabinet meeting was to ensure we have a Budget 2021 that can be implemented. We have to wait for the PM’s audience with the King," he said, refusing to comment further on the agenda.
ST has learnt that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is due to meet the Malaysian King on Friday evening to seek royal assent from the federation's Supreme Ruler for a proclamation of emergency.
The special Cabinet meeting on Friday morning was attended by the Armed Forces Chief, Inspector-General of Police and Attorney General.
ST understands that they were consulted earlier in the week after high-level meetings saw health officials vehemently put forward their case to ensure that national elections do not happen until the outbreak is contained.
The polls in easternmost state of Sabah last month - which were held even as new infection clusters emerged there - were a key factor in Malaysia recording unprecedented numbers of new cases this month.
Election Commission chief Abdul Ghani Salleh also said on Oct 13 that "in light of the outbreak, we urge, if possible, that no election be held during this period".
ST has learnt that less hawkish options, such as reaching across the political divide for a "unity budget", have also been floated, with the Democratic Action Party (DAP) being its chief proponent from the opposition.
However, some government leaders are uncomfortable with leaving their fate in the hands of political rivals, especially as many MPs in ruling Malay-Muslim parties have vowed not to cooperate with the Chinese-dominated DAP that they claim is masterminding an agenda to undermine the interest of Malaysia's majority community.
The Federal Constitution allows for an emergency to be called under Article 150, with the consent of the King.
ST understands that several state rulers - nine monarchs who take turns as king - have been made aware of the possibility of special powers being conferred to Tan Sri Muhyiddin's government.
The situation is still considered fluid enough that Budget 2021, to be tabled on Nov 6, might fail, as PN only has 113 out of 222 MPs.
Mr Muhyiddin's administration would fall if it is unable to approve government spending and there is no certainty that there will be a replacement as Datuk Seri Anwar is unable to reconcile the differences between his ally DAP and Umno.
An emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak would allow for Parliament to be suspended and the executive arm being given powers to make rules and approve expenditure deemed necessary to ensure public security.
NASHVILLE: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden renewed his attacks on President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic at Thursday's (Oct 22) final debate, seeking to bolster his lead in opinion polls with 12 days to go to the Nov 3 election.
Trump, a Republican, initially adopted a more restrained tone than he did during their first presidential debate in September, which was quickly derailed by his constant interruptions.
But Thursday's clash still featured plenty of personal attacks between two men who evince little respect for each other.
The televised debate, which takes place at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennesee, represented one of the Republican Trump's last remaining opportunities to reshape a campaign dominated by a pandemic that has killed more than 221,000 people in the United States and devastated the economy.
"Anyone who's responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America," Biden said.
Trump, who was far more restrained than at the first debate in September when he aggressively talked over Biden, defended his approach to the outbreak and claimed the worst of the pandemic was in the past.
"We're rounding the corner," said Trump, who has played down the virus for months. "It's going away."
Opinion polls show most Americans disapprove of the president's response to the virus.
Several US states, including the election swing state of Ohio, reported record single-day increases in COVID-19 infections on Thursday, evidence the pandemic is accelerating anew.
The first segment of the debate was far more civil than the candidates' first clash in September, when Trump's constant interruptions and exchanges of personal insults derailed the evening.
As a result, each candidate's microphone on Thursday was switched off while his opponent made a two-minute introductory statement on a topic. Even after the microphones were turned back on during discussion periods, however, the candidates largely allowed each other to speak.
After an opening segment on the pandemic, Thursday's clash pivoted to rapid-fire exchanges over whether either candidate had improper foreign entanglements.
Trump repeated his accusations that Biden and his son Hunter engaged in unethical practices in China and Ukraine. No evidence has been verified to support the allegations, and Biden called them false and discredited.
Trump's effort to uncover dirt on Hunter Biden's Ukraine business ties led to the president's impeachment. The president and his children have been accused of conflicts of interest of their own since he entered the White House in 2017, most involving the family's international real estate and hotel businesses.
'MALARKEY'
Biden defended his family and said unequivocally that he had never made "a single penny" from a foreign country, before pivoting to accuse Trump of trying to distract Americans.
"There's a reason why he's bringing up all this malarkey," Biden said, looking directly into the camera. "It's not about his family and my family. It's about your family, and your family's hurting badly."
He also accused Trump of skirting his taxes, citing a New York Times investigation that reported Trump's tax returns show he paid almost no federal income tax over more than 20 years.
"Release your tax returns or stop talking about corruption," Biden said.
Trump, who has broken with decades of precedent in refusing to release his tax returns, said he had paid "millions." He again said he would release his returns only once a longstanding audit was completed.
Biden faulted Trump for avoiding responsibility for the pandemic.
"I take full responsibility," Trump said. "It's not my fault that it came here, it's China's fault."
Trump claimed on Thursday that a vaccine was close to ready, saying approval would be announced within "weeks" before acknowledging that it was not a guarantee.
Most experts, including administration officials, have said a vaccine is unlikely to be widely available until mid-2021.
The candidates clashed over healthcare, China policy and - after months of anti-racism protests - race relations with Biden saying Trump was "one of the most racist presidents" in history.
"He pours fuel on every single racist fire," Biden said. "This guy has a dog whistle as big as a foghorn."
Trump responded by criticising Biden's authorship of a 1994 crime bill that increased incarceration of minority defendants while asserting that he had done more for Black Americans than any president with the "possible" exception of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860s.
AT ODDS OVER HEALTHCARE
Biden criticised Trump's effort to persuade the US Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act, the sweeping healthcare reform passed when Biden was vice-president in President Barack Obama's administration.
"People deserve to have affordable healthcare, period," Biden said, noting that the law prevented insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
Trump said he wanted to replace the ACA with something "much better" that would offer the same protections, even though the administration has yet to propose a comprehensive healthcare plan despite a promise to do so for years.
Biden also denounced Trump's friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, likening his diplomacy to working with Hitler.
In a sharp clash in their final presidential debate, Biden attacked Trump's insistence that he has avoided war through his summits with Kim Jong Un.
"He's talked about his good buddy, who's a thug," Biden said of the young North Korean leader.
"That's like saying we had a good relationship with Hitler before he invaded Europe - the rest of Europe. Come on."
But Biden indicated he was also willing to meet with Kim, saying his condition would be that Pyongyang works to make the Korean peninsula "a nuclear-free zone".
Trump said that former president Barack Obama had left him "a mess" on North Korea and had warned him of the risk of "nuclear war."
After the summits, "we have a very good relationship. And there's no war", said Trump, who also played down North Korea's recent unveiling of a massive new long-range missile at a military parade.
"He didn't like Obama," Trump said of Kim not meeting the former president. "He didn't like him. He wouldn't do it."
Biden, who was vice president under Obama, hit back that Obama would not meet Kim because he was pushing stronger sanctions.
"President Obama said we're going to talk about denuclearisation. We're not going to legitimise you."
Relatively few voters have yet to make up their minds, and Trump's window to influence the outcome may be closing. A record 47 million Americans already have cast ballots, eclipsing total early voting from the 2016 election.
Though Trump trails former vice-president Biden significantly in national polls, the contest is much tighter in some battleground states where the election will likely be decided.
Trump is currently trailing Biden by eight percentage points, the latest Reuters/Ipsos national poll showed.
