PETALING JAYA,Jan 25: Many people are against the state of emergency, but dare not speak up out of fear of being punished, says former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
In a blog post, Mahathir said he had spoken to many people who thought the emergency was unnecessary, citing various reasons.
However, those he spoke to were allegedly afraid of going against a government with extraordinary powers under the emergency.
Despite clarifying that the government could not abuse its powers, Mahathir said those he spoke to still felt uneasy.
“I tried to explain what the government couldn’t do but they looked scared. They lowered their voices while looking around. They also told me not to let anyone know of their opinions,” he said.
“When asked to sign a letter of appeal for the emergency to be withdrawn, they refused.”
Previously, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had announced that up to 115 MPs were against the proclamation of the emergency and wanted Parliament to sit.
He also said the opposition had requested the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to reconsider the need to continue with the emergency, and call for Parliament to convene on Jan 31 to discuss the proclamation and the Covid-19 pandemic.
