KUALA LUMPUR – The opposition meeting in Parliament, chaired by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to discuss the reopening of the upper and lower houses saw 67 MPs deliberate over the matter for two hours today.
PKR information chief Fahmi Fadzil told The Vibes that a number of federal lawmakers, particularly those from Sabah and Sarawak, could not make it due to travel restrictions and quarantine.
PKR’s Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar is still under home quarantine after coming into close contact with an individual diagnosed with the virus.
“This meeting really transpired from the statement made by DSAI (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) and several MPs calling for a reopening of Parliament,” said Fahmi, who is Lembah Pantai MP.
“And the intent is to show that as we reopen more and more sectors (following the movement control order), Parliament should be opened. No reason not to open Parliament
He added that the MPs who gathered made some resolutions which will be discussed in the next week among the PH presidential council for certain decisions to be made on the matter.
Other issues raised at the meeting included the national vaccination programme, the state of the economy, unemployment, lack of clarity on policies and the impact of certain decisions including the raising of fines for Covid-19 rules from RM1,000 to RM10,000.
Even though only slightly more than half of the opposition MPs attended the gathering, all three Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition party presidents, including Upko’s Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau, were present.
Other opposition parties such as Pejuang, Warisan and Muda could not make it. In particular, Warisan MPs were prevented by the Covid-19 quarantine restrictions in Sabah.
Muda’s Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman was not present as he is furthering his studies in Singapore.
Fahmi believes that there will be more of these meetings held in Parliament in the future.
“We will hopefully be doing this on a regular basis. MPs want to return to Parliament but the frequency will be set among the party leaders, taking into consideration factors like timing,” he said, noting that Ramadhan falls next month.
He said the MPs were re-energised by the meeting, with some even giving radical suggestions.
“Most were level-headed in their approach. We want to focus on policy leadership and the need to raise issues faced by the rakyat which is the main reason why Parliament needs to be reconvene.” – The Vibes, March 22, 2021
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