Anwar urges MPs to plead with king to rescind emergency

Anwar Ibrahim has written to all lawmakers urging them to write to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and plead for the emergency declaration to be rescinded and for Parliament to be convened as soon as possible.

In his memo, the PKR MP urged them to write in by Friday so that Parliament could be convened before Jan 31.

"May these letters appeal to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's wisdom to rescind the emergency declaration, and then a decree for Parliament to reconvene immediately before Jan 31 to debate on the emergency, Covid-19, and the political crisis enveloping the country," he said in a statement today.

Anwar said he also provided a draft for the MPs to refer to but said this can be adjusted to suit the lawmaker's or their party's stance.

However, a copy of the draft was not made available to the media.

The emergency was declared on Tuesday to combat the surging Covid-19 pandemic.

However, critics have accused Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin of using the emergency to cling on to power after two Umno MPs withdrew their support for Perikatan Nasional, leaving the government without a majority.

In his memo, Anwar said existing measures, including the movement control order, are enough to tackle Covid-19 and there was no need for an emergency.

"We are of the view the prime minister and government have overstepped and strayed in advising the Yang di-Pertuan Agong because (the emergency) does not relate to Covid-19, floods or the economy.

"The prime minister is more focused on retaining power," he added.

The PKR president, who has been trying to secure a majority to form a new government, made no mention of calling for a vote of confidence or for MPs to declare their support for him.