The Declaration of Emergency Proclamation to curb the Covid-19 pandemic does not need to be politicized and its importance issues need to be understood, said Senior Minister (Security) Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said the proclamation was to facilitate and strengthen all government actions in using the virus transmission by making a new ordinance without the need to go through the legislative process in Parliament which takes time.
“When we declare an emergency, we can make laws under the emergency ordinance to increase the compound. For example, it may be a fine for a company that requires regulations to be upheld and the matter being studied by the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC).
“This law also aims to prevent the recurrence of offenses. If the amount of fines is increased, maybe individuals or companies will be afraid to repeat the same offense, “he said in an exclusive interview with Bernama, recently.
On January 12, Istana Negara in a statement informed the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah gave his consent to the Proclamation of Emergency Proclamation to be implemented until August 1 as a proactive measure to curb the Covid-19 epidemic in Malaysia.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in a special emergency announcement on the same day explained that the cabinet advised the Agong to issue a proclamation of emergency for the whole country in accordance with Article 150 (1) of the Federal Constitution, effective 11 January 2021 to 1 August 2021.
Article 150 (1) among others provides that the Agong may declare a state of emergency if he is satisfied that a major emergency is taking place causing security or economic life or public order in the federation is threatened.
The public government will continue to function as usual at the federal and state levels throughout the emergency implementation period, and even the administrative machinery of the Federal Government and the state will not be disturbed by the declaration of emergency proclamation.
Ismail said the preparation of the draft ordinance by the AGC was running smoothly and was expected to be announced in the near future and once announced, the enforcement of the ordinance would be final and immediate.
The Attorney General will draft a proposal (law) and present it to the National Security Council (especially for emergencies). If the ordinance is agreed, it will be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Once approved by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, it will become law, ”he said, explaining the draft process of the ordinance.
Ismail said the AGC was also studying the implementation of the law under the Minimum Standards for Housing, Accommodation and Facilities of Workers Act 1990 (Act 446) which is to provide accommodation to foreign workers in compliance with the specified specifications.
“Many cases of Covid-19 are reported to occur among factory workers due to overcrowded housing issues and easy infections. The company wants big profits but the welfare of employees is not emphasized. Under this ordinance, we may provide conditions or instructions to provide comfortable housing and action will be taken if default, “he said.
