Is this the answer we have been praying about?
If Scott Morrison was the miracle man to win the 2019 Australian federal election, Adem Somyurek might just be the miracle man to help defeat one of the worst pieces of legislation in Victorian – if not Australian – history. The corrupt and power-hungry former Labor politician seems to have been the answer to prayer as his refusal to support the bill might undo the evil machinations of another corrupt and power-hungry politician: Premier Dan Andrews.
He has said he will not support the Dictator For Life legislation, leaving the government reeling, now seeking to find another way to rush this terrible bill through. A flurry of phone calls have already been made, and Andrews is now in panic mode. For all intents and purposes the bill was a done deal, set to pass through the Victorian upper house, thanks to the three deplorable crossbenchers who have been doing dirty deals with Dan for years now.
But now there is hope that it will not go through. The talk now is that Andrews will delay a vote on the bill until he can again guarantee enough votes to see it pass. He is now a vote short and he is in full flight seeking to get it. At the very least, it is nice to see him squirm for a change.
I have written often about how diabolically bad this bill is. Plenty of others have also warned about it, including 60 QCs and many other legal eagles who have warned about it. Tens of thousands of concerned Christians have been praying steadfastly against this terrible bill, and many have been attending mass rallies in the city.
Like so many others, I have been praying that God would somehow do a miracle. I certainly did not expect that it would come in the form of the disgraced Labor power-broker Adem Somyurek. He now sits on the crossbenches as an independent, and he has just recently returned to parliament – just in time.
And if that is the way this thing is to be defeated, so be it. Fine by me. If God wants to use a rather deplorable politician to help stop another rather deplorable politician, that is quite alright in my books. And if this bill is stopped, it may lead to other steps to challenge Andrews and his corrupt regime.
So we must pray even more than ever. And we must keep contacting MPs, joining in the freedom marches, and anything else we can do. This battle is not over yet. But news of this surprise move by Somyurek has certainly given me and so many others a bit of hope.
But those celebrating a tremendous win here are being a bit premature. When you have corrupt and sinister politicians like Andrews around, you can be sure he will try anything to get this bill back on track. He will resort to any trick and any manipulation and any coercion to seek a win. We must pray against all this.
In the meantime, here is one recent piece from the Herald Sun on the latest developments:
The Andrews government’s controversial pandemic management Bill is in disarray with former government MP Adem Somyurek revealing he will block it. Mr Somyurek on Wednesday night told the Herald Sun he would sensationally return to parliament to oppose the Bill, saying it gives “too much power to the government” and could lead to a “tyranny of rule by decree”.
Victoria was already “essentially an elective dictatorship”, he added, saying the bill does not include adequate checks to prevent abuses of power. The government had assumed it would win the upper house vote scheduled for Thursday with the support of three crossbench MPs it secured a deal with on Monday.
But Mr Somyurek’s decision as he returns to parliament for just the second time since June 2020 will mean the government will fall short of a majority, providing the eight other crossbenchers – who have already committed to opposing the Bill – vote against it. In that scenario, the Bill will fail.
Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes hit the phones late Wednesday night in a desperate 11th hour bid to help save the government’s scuppered Bill. Ms Symes personally phoned members of the crossbench to try and secure one more desperately needed vote.
Speculation about Mr Somyurek’s intentions on Wednesday prompted suggestions the government would delay the critical vote until the next sitting of parliament, in two weeks, rather than risk the embarrassment of such a high-profile loss.
That would give it time to win over at least one more crossbencher, but would likely involve massive concessions being made. If the government cannot force the bill through in the next two weeks before the State of Emergency expires, it will not be able to enforce any pandemic orders.
Mr Somyurek said he had been moved to return due to concerns there was inadequate independent scrutiny built into the controversial Bill and it could lead to unjust government and “despots”. “Had I continued to be a member of the Andrews cabinet, I would have argued around the cabinet table that this bill is a bad idea because it gives too much power to the government,” he said.
But things are still in a state of flux, and we must keep vigilant. This fight is not over yet. Indeed, while there is more than enough political commentary on this matter, my main concern here is to highlight the spiritual connections. As mentioned, the totally unexpected development may be a part of the answer to millions of prayers that have gone up over this bill.
Just recently I wrote about the ‘stones speaking out’ – a reference to what Jesus said: if his own disciples will not speak out, God is able to even get the stones to speak up: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2021/11/09/when-stones-speak-out/
So God can raise up voices and actors from unexpected quarters. He could use Balaam’s ass for his purposes in the Old Testament, and he could use non-Christian leaders in the New – consider the warning given by Pilate’s wife about the crucifixion of Jesus (Matthew 27:19).
God is able to do all sorts of interesting things. And when far too many Christians are silent and are not speaking out about the things that matter, and when too many weak opposition leaders and parties are not up to the task of opposing dangerous legislation, then God is quite able to raise up even an ex-Labor Party bigwig.
But we must not let up now. As I say, this matter is not finalised yet, and Andrews will try every sneaky and intimidating thing he can come up with to push this through. So please keep praying. Please keep marching. Please keep contacting MPs.
Even if this despicable bill is stopped – and that will be a massive victory indeed – that does not mean the end of the despotic Andrews’ regime. He has already pushed through so much ungodly and anti-Christian bigotry in various bills and laws, and he will keep on doing so.
But if he were to be rebuffed here, that would hopefully be just the start of even more fightback. We need the political fightback, but it must be based on a spiritual fightback. Keep it up friends.
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