SUBANG JAYA, June 21 – Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin must give a commitment to convene Parliament before August 1, as this will assure the nation that the Executive is falling in line with the hopes of the King and the Rulers to win the war against the COVID-19 pandemic, says DAP veteran and Member Parliament of Iskandar Puteri, Lim Kit Siang.
In a statement to the media today, Kit Siang said it will not be sufficient just promising to involve the Opposition in the study of the reconvening of Parliament and whether it should be held in hybrid Parliament mode.
“The Prime Minister’s undertaking will be meaningless if Parliament is only convened in September or October under Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan, subject to three conditions: an average of less than 2,000 Covid-19 cases daily, sufficient ICU capacity and up to 40 percent of the population fully vaccinated.
“What if one of these three conditions are not met, is Parliament to be suspended indefinitely?”
There is nothing for the Members Parliament, whether from the government or the opposition, to “evaluate” whether Parliament should meet before August 1, as Parliament is required to meet once in six months, the last date Parliament met being Dec. 17, 2020, he said.
He also expressed regret that Senate President Dr. Rais Yatim seemed “to be more vocal and articulate on the rights and privileges of Parliament than the Speaker of Parliament – which is the first time in the nation’s 64-year history and most uncommon in Commonwealth parliamentary practices.”
He called on the Speaker of Parliament, Azhar Azizan Harun to represent the MPs to the Executive and not represent the Executive in Parliament.
On Sunday, National News Agency Bernama reported Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin saying that a committee comprising representatives from both the government and Opposition has been formed to look into reconvening Parliament.
No further details on the committee was given.