21-12-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar has decided to withdraw his appeal against former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s proposal to invoke emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the suspension of the Parliament.
As reported by Free Malaysia Today on Wednesday (December 20), senior federal lawyer Liu Hongbin disclosed that Anwar withdrew the appeal last Thursday (14th) through the Karpal Singh Law Firm.
In a related move, lawyer Leong Siu Fook has sought the court’s intervention to revoke the prosecution qualification of the late former Johor Pulai MP Salahuddin Salahuddin. Leong highlighted that appeals by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Tun Openg, Johor PKR’s Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim, and Perak Democratic Action Party’s Tebin Tinggi state assemblyman Abdul Aziz are still in progress.
Liu Hongbin mentioned that the case is slated for case management on January 8 next year.
During the tenure of former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Anwar, who was then the leader of the opposition in Parliament and Chairman of the PKR, filed a lawsuit on January 26, 2021. He asserted that the Muhyiddin government’s suspension of Parliament during the state of emergency violated the constitution.
On the same day, Salahuddin, Johari Abdullah, and Azbari also lodged a legal challenge against Muhyiddin’s prohibition on the convening of Parliament and state assemblies through the declaration of a state of emergency.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court rejected Anwar and others’ application on March 11, 2021, stating that any emergency order or regulations issued by the Head of State cannot be subject to judicial challenge. Subsequently, Anwar and others pursued an appeal.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal on November 24, 2021. The three-member Court of Appeal, led by Judge Hazana, emphasized that even if the appeal were allowed, the court lacks jurisdiction to hear matters related to the head of state proclaiming a state of emergency. Undeterred, Anwar appealed to the Federal Court in February this year to continue challenging the case.
