InternationalFriday FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2021

Virus batters hospitals in HK radio host in first ‘sedition’ trial since China handover Page 18 Senegal’s capital Page 16

KUALA LUMPUR: This handout photo from ’s Department of Information taken and released on July 26, 2021 shows Prime Minister delivering his address during a special session of the Dewan Rakyat () at the Parliament in . — AFP Malaysia PM digs in after royal rebuke Rival MPs claim Muhyiddin was misleading parliament KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s embattled August 1 and that several regulations enact- and powers of his majesty as head of and the federal constitution,” it said, adding leader defended his actions yesterday as he ed under it were being cancelled. But angry state,” it said. people should “remain calm”. faced calls to quit after rare criticism from rival MPs claimed Muhyiddin was just seek- It is unusual for Malaysia’s constitutional A key ally of Muhyiddin, Deputy Prime the king, who accused his government of ing to dodge a vote that could test his sup- monarch, who is widely revered in the Minister Ismail Sabri Yakoob, also said the misleading parliament over coronavirus laws. port-and it was not clear the monarch had Muslim-majority country, to speak out so government still enjoyed the support of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin leads a agreed to revoke the laws, as required forcefully against the government. more than 110 MPs in the 222-seat lower scandal-plagued coalition that seized pow- under the constitution. Muhyiddin was accused of treason and house. Muhyiddin has faced mounting pres- er last year without an election, but his Yesterday the royal palace confirmed the faced calls from the and some sure in recent weeks with the biggest party government is on the verge of collapse king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, members of his own coalition to quit. in his coalition, the United Malays National after allies withdrew support. Parliament had not given his consent, and said that he But his office released a statement outlin- Organisation, withdrawing support. convened this week after a months-long expressed his “great disappointment”. ing discussions between the government The regulations enacted under the emer- suspension under a state of emergency- The announcement about cancelling the and the monarch over the regulations, and gency give authorities extra powers to pun- ostensibly to fight the virus, but which crit- regulations was “inaccurate and confused insisted there had been no need for a parlia- ish virus rule breakers, as well as some oth- ics said was a gambit by Muhyiddin to the members of parliament”, said a state- mentary vote on the laws. er tools to fight the pandemic. cling to power. ment from the palace. It “did not just fail to “The government is of the view that all Even when the emergency ends, the On Monday, the law minister told the leg- respect the principles of the sovereignty of these actions taken are in order and in country will remain under a strict lockdown islature the emergency would end on the law.... but it undermined the functions accordance with the provisions of the law as it faces a worsening outbreak. — AFP