KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — Opposition lawmaker Lim Kit Siang has repeated Pakatan Harapan’s call for an emergency session of Parliament to be convened in order to ensure full and absolute public transparency and accountability.

The Iskandar Puteri MP believed that abuses of power and corruption are returning into the political administration amidst the movement control order (MCO) with politicians taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The government must give top priority to full transparency and accountability which are critical factors for securing full national support for unpopular post-Covid-19 measures. Accountability and transparency must not take a back seat.

“There are signs that abuse of power and corruption, which Malaysians have taken a stand rejecting them in the milestone 14th General Election on May 9, 2018, is making a comeback.

“One example is the discrimination in the distribution of food aid parcels to Opposition-held constituencies as highlighted by Pakatan Harapan MPs, Tan Kok Wai and Hannah Yeoh,” said the DAP veteran.

He added that even though Malaysia has joined the vaunted ranks of a handful of nations that have successfully flattened the novel coronavirus curve such as South Korea and New Zealand, it must still do so in a transparent manner.

He attributed a quote to South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung who said that his nation’s success was due to the “absolute transparency” policy taken up by the government that had secured public trust.

Lim then questioned Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s courage and resolve as he seemed to fear calling for a special Parliamentary meeting to discuss the pandemic and Putrajaya’s post MCO blueprint and exit plan.

“This is why Parliamentary participation is critical to a successful exit plan strategy and blueprint — and the need for a special parliamentary meeting in April and the presentation of the Covid-19 exit plan strategy and blueprint for approval by Parliament in May,” Lim said.

Earlier, his colleague and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had also issued calls for the Muhyiddin administration to convene a special session to debate pandemic and the emergency steps taken by the government including the economic stimulus packages and National Care Assistance (Bantuan Prihatin Nasional — BPN) package.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/04/25/govt-must-convene-parliamentary-session-to-ensure-transparency-during-covid/1860053