Art Harun: PM's plan to reconvene Parliament in September or October seems 'rational'

PETALING JAYA: The Prime Minister's plan to reconvene Parliament around September or October seems "rational", says Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun (pic).

The Dewan Rakyat Speaker said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had the right to set the date for Parliament to reconvene as he deemed fit.

Azhar added that he also did not see it as too late, considering the need to address various issues to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The Prime Minister has the authority to set a date to convene Parliament with the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

"He is allowed to call for a meeting based on the Constitution, where, in fact, he has stated rationally as to why the timeline is appropriate.

“Among the reasons are the Covid-19 numbers and such, so for Parliament, we will wait for a date to be set later, ” he was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia.

He was asked to comment on the Prime Minister's proposed timeline to reconvene Parliament around September or October this year.

In a separate statement, Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon welcomed the views of the King and the Malay Rulers so that Parliament could reconvene in line with the standard operating procedure and the principle of constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.

Muhyiddin had said on Tuesday (June 15) that Parliament could reconvene in the third phase of the National Recovery Plan with strict standard operating procedure in place.

On Wednesday (June 16), Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah expressed his opinion that Parliament must reconvene as soon as possible.

His Majesty said this was to enable the Emergency Ordinances and the Covid-19 National Recovery Plan to be debated by lawmakers.