State govt seeking consent from Selangor Sultan on assembly sitting

KLANG: The Selangor government is making the necessary arrangements for the state legislative assembly to reconvene soon.

Speaker Ng Suee Lim said a letter would be sent to Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah today regarding the matter.

“We have suggested that the state assembly session be held at the

end of August if His Highness is agreeable to it.

“We have yet to open this year’s state assembly session, which should have been done in March or April at the latest,’’ said Ng when contacted.

He added that if the nation was still in a state of Emergency at the end of August due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari would write

to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah asking to be allowed to hold the state assembly.

“Not being able to open our assembly sitting is a slap in the face for democracy.

“We cannot continue to go on like this,’’ said Ng.

Selangor Opposition chief Datuk Rizam Ismail concurred that it was time for the state assembly to hold a sitting.

“I am hoping that His Highness will agree to the date suggested because there are so many issues that need to be collectively discussed and debated, especially the challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic,’’ said the Umno Sungai Air Tawar assemblyman.

“We have to ask and find out how the state government is going to tackle the declining economy, the loss of jobs as well as other issues we are facing.”

Aside from Negri Sembilan and Johor, which have said that they would convene their assembly in August, the Perlis state legislative assembly would also be held at around the same time.

On June 18, Bernama quoted Perlis Speaker Datuk Hamdan Bahari as saying that the First Meeting of the Fourth Session of the 14th State Assembly had obtained the consent of the Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail.

The Raja of Perlis also agreed to officiate the assembly.

Hamdan also said that a meeting with related agencies, among them the National Security Council of Perlis, police and state health department, would be held to seek advice on the standard operating procedure and other Covid-19-related regulations.