Parliament only sitting for a day on May 18 as it lacks majority support, claims Anwar

PETALING JAYA: The upcoming Dewan Rakyat session on May 18 is scheduled to be a one-day affair because the Perikatan Nasional government does not have the support of a simple majority in the House, claims Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar, who in an interview on Astro Awani's Consider This programme on Monday (April 20) night, also said he told Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin during a recent meeting last Tuesday (April 14) that a one-day sitting was inadequate for MPs to hold any debate.

"He listened but he did not want to concede. I believe it's due to the issue of legitimacy, that the government must be tested in terms of support in Parliament.

"Since they cannot muster enough support, they will not allow Parliament to convene (for more than a day)," he said.

Anwar, who described the May 18 parliamentary sitting as pointless, said he was not surprised at all that it would sit for just one day.

"Muhyiddin did express his views regarding the need to convey a Parliamentary meeting. The plan was then to allow for the King's opening address and debates would continue in July.

"I expressed to him that it did not make sense. If you can't have it for five days, then two days. Parliament must be effective, there must be meaningful participatory democracy.

"MPs must be allowed to expressed their views, to support measures and to ensure that inadequate measures are addressed by the government," he said.

Anwar also said that ministers are accountable for and should be compelled to justify the government's measures in addressing the Covid-19 crisis.

"Parliament has to convene because only they – the parliamentarians – can decide what is best in terms of the MCO and government leaders are compelled to explain to the people the necessity to extend the MCO."

"We need to continue to engage other Opposition leaders," he said.

The upcoming Parliamentary session on May 18 was supposed sit for 15 days after the initial March 9 sitting was postponed due to the political crisis which saw the collapse of the Pakatan government.

However, last Friday (April 17), Dewan Rakyat secretary Riduan Rahmat issued a circular to all MPs informing them of the one-day May 18 sitting, where only government Bills and matters would be discussed.