KUALA LUMPUR – Parliament has adequate facilities to implement a hybrid Dewan Rakyat sitting at any time if necessary, said Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon.
Rashid said Parliament was also in the process of finalising other technical aspects required.
“Of course we are prepared and the existing facilities are adequate, we are making additions to implement it (a hybrid sitting),” he said here.
He said that until now there has not been a set date for the Dewan Rakyat to convene and it will follow the Standing Orders, which stipulates that a 28-day notice must be provided before a sitting can convene.
“We leave it to the discretion of the leader of the House for its implementation,” he said.
Rashid said a hybrid Parliament sitting would be part of the new norm, and would be a historical moment for Malaysia as it faces the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It also represents a new challenge for the speaker as we will be dealing with looking at MPs through monitors,” he said.
Rashid said that if a hybrid Dewan Rakyat sitting does happen, several Standing Orders will require amendments, including on the voting process, and all amendments required will be included as an addendum to the existing Standing Orders.
“For example, Parliament refers to the federal constitution in Article 62 Parliamentary Procedure.
“In 62(5), it is stated that members who do not attend a parliamentary sitting are not allowed to vote. But if we refer to 62(1), it is subject to this parliamentary provision and provisions of federal laws that every parliamentary sitting needs to regulate its own protocols,” he said.
When asked how many MPs need to be present in the Dewan Rakyat if the amendments are to be passed, Rashid said the minimum number for a quorum is 26 MPs.
Previously, the Dewan Rakyat (with the speaker’s ruling) had set a maximum of 80 MPs, but the actual total and method are still at the final stages of discussion. – Bernama, June 24, 2021
