Hybrid parliament under study

PETALING JAYA: As calls for Parliament to reconvene is gaining traction, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan says the government is currently finding ways to organise a “hybrid parliament” session.

The hybrid parliamentary session, if implemented, would involve the physical and digital participation of MPs and senators in Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara proceedings.

According to Takiyuddin, a virtual meeting was held yesterday involving him, the Dewan Rakyat Speaker, Dewan Negara president, as well as their deputies, where they had discussed matters pertaining to organising the hybrid parliamentary session.

“The discussions were about preparations for organising a hybrid parliamentary session involving the infrastructure, technical, legal as well as financial aspects.

“The meeting basically agreed with the concept of a hybrid parliament, which will be held based on physical and virtual attendance by MPs, ” he said in a statement yesterday.

Takiyuddin, who is also the de facto law minister in charge of parliamentary affairs, said that the proposed hybrid parliament mechanism was aimed at ensuring the role of Parliament was not eroded as the country dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic

“This step is taken to ensure that Parliament will still be able to play its role as the country deals with the Covid-19 pandemic and recovery programmes taking place, ” Takiyuddin said.

Calls for Parliament to reconvene were made by various groups, including Deputy Speaker Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, who expressed her frustration in an open letter on Thursday at the lack of response from the government for answers outside of Parliament.

Azalina proposed that all Parliament employees, MPs and senators be vaccinated and that an Ordinance for Parliament be promulgated to reconvene without the need for a motion of confidence in order to minimise “unwanted drama” in the Dewan Rakyat.