KUALA LUMPUR – The Dewan Rakyat committee will propose that only 80 MPs are allowed in the chamber for the special sitting that begins on July 26.
Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon said the matter will be discussed with parties’ chief whips, and a decision is expected in the coming week.
“It is the same as what was done during the sitting last year, where of the 222 MPs, only 80 were allowed in per session,” he was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia.
He said the topics to be brought up during the sitting will revolve around issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We will allow MPs to ask questions, but the motion on a hybrid sitting will not be tabled because we can proceed with a normal sitting.”
The Batu Pahat MP said the committee will propose that each session is attended by 44 government and 36 opposition lawmakers.
“Ministers and deputy ministers will also need to limit the number of officers accompanying them (to Parliament) to just two or three.
“We have to control (the numbers) to ensure strict compliance with the standard operating procedures.”
Following numerous calls for the august House to reconvene, the Prime Minister’s Office on July 5 said the government has agreed that the Dewan Rakyat will sit from July 26 to 29, and on August 2, while the Dewan Negara will meet from August 3 to 5.
MPs from both sides of the divide have expressed unease at the prospect of seeing just a “briefing session” after a six-month suspension of Parliament due to the emergency declared over the coronavirus.
Lawmakers have voiced concerns that there will be no space given for debates and questions, and the sitting will merely see briefings on the National Recovery Plan and amendments to the relevant laws and regulations to allow Parliament to meet in a hybrid manner. – The Vibes, July 18, 2021
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