KUALA LUMPUR – Tg Karang MP Tan Sri Noh Omar said he will not support any motion on a vote of no confidence should it be called when Parliament reconvenes.
In a statement, the Selangor Umno chairman reiterated his party president’s call for the House to sit within a fortnight.
He said the state Umno also wants the parliamentary sitting to be held for at least 14 days, to allow the emergency ordinance and National Recovery Plan to be debated by MPs with the aim of containing Covid-19 and reviving the economy.
“The issue involving a 28-day notice under the Standing Orders of the Dewan Rakyat, whereby the Dewan Rakyat secretary must convene sittings, that was raised by certain parties is not, in fact, an impediment for the Dewan Rakyat to convene within 14 days,” said Noh.
“Order 9(2)(a) states that ‘at least 28 days before the commencement of each session of Parliament, notify members in writing of the dates of the meetings of the House in that session’.
“It should be read to the end, where it states, ‘provided that in cases of urgency, as may be determined by the Dewan Rakyat speaker, such notice may be dispensed with, and in that event, the longest notice possible shall be given’.
“Similarly, Order 11(2) states that ‘subject to the provisions of paragraph (1), the leader or deputy of the House shall determine, at least 28 days before the commencement of each session, the dates on which the House shall meet in the session, provided that the leader or deputy of the House may vary from time to time the dates so fixed’.
“This clearly shows that the issue raised by certain parties does not prevent the Dewan Rakyat from convening within 14 days from today’s date.”
Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday issued an ultimatum to Perikatan Nasional, giving it 14 days to reconvene Parliament, failing which, his party will call a Supreme Council meeting to discuss its next step.
In a statement, he said the Barisan Nasional lynchpin fully supports the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Conference of Rulers’ decrees on a parliamentary sitting.
The government’s failure to heed the decrees is considered a form of rebellion and disrespect to the institution of the Malay rulers, he said.
“Umno’s stand is that Parliament is very important and needs to be reconvened immediately to allow the people’s demands and hopes to be brought up, to highlight their struggles during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is also to ensure accountability on the part of the government.
“There is no need for terms such as ‘as soon as possible’ and ‘soon’ in the two statements that expressed a common stand (by the Agong and Conference of Rulers) on a parliamentary sitting.”
He said Umno is a party that preserves and defends the royal institution, as stipulated in Clause 3 of its constitution.
Zahid reportedly chaired an Umno political bureau meeting on Sunday. – The Vibes, June 22, 2021
