SATIRE The Malaysian government has declared that time will be stopped just before midnight tonight, to give it an opportunity to keep its word on key national issues.

"All clocks and time measurement devices in the country will be frozen at 11.59pm on Dec 31. Just before the New Year," announced Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in Charge of Time Stopping, Robbert Ibaron.

"Technically time will stay... frozen... like that movie but without the ice and snow lah... at that specific moment. We will stay in 2015. So the New Year technically will not occur until we lift the moratorium."

Speaking to reporters in Putrajaya after the Cabinet meeting last night, he said that this is essential to ensure that the rakyat's needs are seen to.

"We have promised to serve the rakyat and we will keep our promise, whatever the cost," he stressed.

Among others the government has promised that the debt crisis facing sovereign fund 3BMD, explanations of the recent hit movie Starry Battles holey plot lines, and investigations into US$700 million missing from 3BMD subsidiary CRS Global would all be done before 2015 ends.

"This is not new; we have done it before in Parliament, for example. We are just applying it on a bigger scale now," added Robbert.

Time has indeed been stopped in Parliament several times in the last sitting, as the government struggled with time to allow for the passage of several security laws it claimed were essential in maintaining Malaysian harmony.

The Federal Opposition has claimed that this is an example of the ruling party's deviousness, though the party in power defended the move as a means to discharge its duties to the rakyat.

But this will be the first time that the tried and tested way to bulldoze Bills through Parliament is applied on a national scale to push through government promises.

Robbert related that the decision was made at the Cabinet meeting yesterday, after it was highlighted that various government promises of a satisfactory conclusion to the issues remain unfulfilled.

"This shows that we are serious in wanting to serve the rakyat. We truly want to deliver on our promises. Even time cannot stop us," assured the minister.

The move was met with mixed reactions by the public.

"Syukur! the government is really sincere in helping us," opined 36-year-old Mak Bedah who was overcome with joy, as tears streamed from her eyes.

Partisamy Boyvellu of Puchong, however, was less enthusiastic.

"Every year I celebrate new year. If time stops, I cannot celebrate. So how? Who is to compensate me for the loss of my ability to celebrate New Year?" he asked.

Forty-year-old Ah Keong expressed happiness that he can postpone filing his taxes, though lamented that all the fireworks he bought will now go to waste as there is no New Year to celebrate.

" Good ada, bad pun ada. Susah kes, lah ," he said.

A non-racist pro-majority race NGO, Strongarm, has criticised the move as having hidden Semitic-linked agenda.

"They are trying to stop us from celebrating Raya next year!" its spokesperson said in a statement.

At the time of reporting, police have issued a proclamation that they will go door-to-door to enforce the stop-time government ruling to ensure that all time measurement devices will be stopped accordingly.