I support a division voting should be called if Khairy is so unreasonable as want to force through the draconian and unscientific Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Amendment Bill tomorrow instead of referring it to a Select Committee

I support that a division voting should be called if the Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin is so unreasonable as want to force through the draconian and unscientific Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Amendment Bill tomorrow with excessive million-ringgit fines and compounds and disproportionate seven-year penal penalties instead of referring it to a Select Committee.

Just as there was no justification for the declaration of Emergency on January 11, 2021 to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, there is no justification for the Dewan Rakyat to pass the amendment to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Amendment bill tomorrow.

The amendment bill should be referred to a Select Committee to benefit from consultation with not only MPs and political parties, but all the relevant medical bodies and NGOs, especially as the Health Minister is asking Malaysians to “live with Covid” in an endemic phase.

Was the Health Ministry being negligent for the past 23 months of the Covid-19 pandemic in not having such amendments?

Khairy should bear full responsibility if the Opposition is forced to call for division voting to express its opposition to the draconian and unscientific provisions in the Bill and spoil the bi-partisan spirit that has started to develop as a result of the confidence-supply-reform (CSR) memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and Pakatan Harapan leaders on Sept. 13.

It is most unfortunate that after the historic consensus and unity shown in the Parliament yesterday in passing the 2021 Constitution Amendment Bill to undo the injustices of the 1976 Constitution Amendment Act, the parliamentary spirit of finding unity and consensus ushered by the CSR MOU should be spoilt by Khairy’s obstinacy in wanting to force through the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Amendment Bill tomorrow.