The former finance minister described the ordinance as a “cruel April Fool’s joke on parliamentary democracy,” and said it would be unnecessary if the plan was to end the emergency as scheduled.

“Supplementary budgets can be legally delayed until the end of the year for parliamentary approval. This means that supplementary budgets for additional spending can still be approved by Parliament when the emergency ends and Parliament sits again,” the DAP secretary-general said.

“By financially ‘guillotining’ Parliament, is the prime minister hinting that the emergency and the suspension of Parliament can be extended beyond Aug 1?” he asked

The ordinance removes the accountability provided by the Dewan Rakyat, the Bagan MP said, citing the reduction of the communication department’s (J-Com) budget from RM85.5 million to RM40.5 million during the last national budget debate as an example of the importance of discourse and debate.

He said that if additional funds were indeed needed to combat Covid-19, there would be no need to bypass Parliament as the opposition would likely support any such spending boost.

“Without parliamentary oversight, there is an elevated risk that any new spending made by this government would not be properly accounted for, and cronies will benefit instead of the people.”