GEORGE TOWN – Under the federal constitution, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong can reconvene Parliament without the advice of the prime minister, especially during an emergency, said Umno veteran and Gua Musang MP Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
Tengku Razaleigh in a statement said that Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah is also empowered to decide the dates for the Dewan Rakyat sitting.
Yesterday, Istana Negara issued a statement saying that Parliament could convene during the current state of emergency on a date considered appropriate by the Agong based on the advice of the prime minister.
Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said the matter was enshrined in subparagraph 14(1)(b) of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021, which states that Parliament should be called, prorogued, and dissolved on a date as deemed appropriate by the king on the advice of the prime minister.
The statement was issued yesterday after the Agong granted an audience to Dewan Negara President Tan Sri Rais Yatim and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun at Istana Negara.
The Agong consented to an emergency declaration on January 12, following the prime minister’s advice, as a proactive measure to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 1,000 lives in Malaysia.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in a special address in conjunction with the proclamation of the emergency, said the cabinet advised the Agong to declare a nationwide emergency in accordance with Article 150(1) of the federal constitution, effective January 11 until August 1.
Article 150(1) provides, among others, that the king can declare a state of emergency if he is satisfied that a grave emergency is taking place, causing security, economic life, or public order in the federation to be threatened.
Muhyiddin said the government would function as usual at the federal and state levels throughout the emergency, and that the declaration would not disturb the administrative machinery. – The Vibes, February 25, 2021
