KUALA LUMPUR – Parliament will convene for its fourth session with two sittings taking place over four months in a packed and eventful end to 2021.
In a statement today, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun said the first sitting will take place for 15 days from September 6 to 30, while the second will go on for 32 days from October 25 to December 16.
Yang-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah will officiate at the fourth session, at 10am on September 6, he said.
Azhar said he was notified of the parliamentary calendar by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also head of the House.
While there is no mention of the Budget 2022 tabling date, it is expected to be done in the second sitting, as national spending plans are typically tabled and debated at the end of the year.
With both orders of business – the royal address and Budget – usually taking weeks for MPs to debate, it is set to be a hectic end of 2021 for them.
Earlier today, Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Rashid Hasnon confirmed to The Vibes that the Agong will not address the House in its special sitting beginning July 26.
Under normal circumstances, His Majesty would deliver the royal address in the first sitting of each session, with each session covering roughly a year and usually comprising three sittings.
However, said Rashid, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing emergency proclamation, the third session of the current Parliament, which was supposed to end last year, has yet to be prorogued by the king.
This means that the coming five-day meet of the Dewan Rakyat and three days for the Dewan Negara are still part of the third session, he said, and so, will not have a royal address.
Apart from the Agong’s speech and Budget tabling, Muhyiddin’s position as the rightful prime minister is also expected to take centre stage, should he survive the special session to begin this month.
His position is seen as increasingly shaky after Umno withdrew its support for him.
As things stand, the special parliamentary meet will focus on matters concerning Covid-19, its impact on the economy, as well as the emergency proclamation, and will not include any motion of no confidence against the prime minister. – The Vibes, July 15, 2021
