KUALA LUMPUR – Despite the Parliament website noting that the Dewan Rakyat will sit from March 8 to April 8, Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon says otherwise.
He was reported by Free Malaysia Today as saying that the Parliament secretariat must give MPs notice of a meeting at least 28 days in advance.
“There are procedures we need to adhere to before we can convene the seating,” he was quoted as saying.
It was reported that the Parliament website stated the first meeting of the fourth session of Dewan Rakyat will start on March 8 and end on April 8, but no other papers were posted.
So far, no new dates have been confirmed.
Just last week, Istana Negara issue a statement on behalf of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong that Parliament sittings were allowed even if the country was in a state of emergency.
On February 24, in a statement released by Comptroller of the Royal Household Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, Istana Negara said the matter wa enshrined in sub-paragraph 14(1)(b) of the Emergency Ordinance (Essential Powers) 2021, which stated that Parliament should be called, prorogated and dissolved on a date deemed suitable by the Agong and on the advice of the prime minister.
The statement added that the perception of some quarters that the implementation of the emergency has prevented Parliament from convening was inaccurate.
The king granted an audience to Dewan Negara Speaker Tan Sri Rais Yatim and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun at the palace on the same day.
During the audience, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah stressed that Malaysia was a constitutional democracy, and the executive, judiciary and legislature must always abide by this principle. – The Vibes, February 28, 2021
