Number of people allowed into Parliament for September meeting to be decided, says Deputy Speaker

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The number of individuals, including Members of Parliament, allowed into the Parliament building at the first meeting of the fourth session of the 14th Parliament beginning Sept 6 will be decided soon, says Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon.

He said this was to ensure the meeting runs smoothly and to prevent Covid-19 transmission, as opposed to what transpired during the special five-day sitting at the end of July.

In this regard, he said the Dewan Rakyat Committee, based on advice from the Health Ministry (MOH) and the National Security Council (NSC), would have discussions with both the government's and Opposition's chief whips soon.

"From what happened during the recent special sitting, we need more solid prevention measures in place," he told Bernama after handing out food baskets to 50 veteran artistes in a programme organised by the Malaysian Veteran Artistes Welfare Association (PKAVM) in Desa Melawati here Tuesday (Aug 10).

The special sitting of the third session of the 14th Parliament for Dewan Rakyat was supposed to take place from July 26 to 29 and on Aug 2, but only met for four days and was postponed after Covid-19 cases were detected in the Parliament building.

As of Aug 8, a total of 88 Covid-19 cases have been detected involving individuals who were in Parliament during the special sitting.

As for the motion of confidence on Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that is expected to be tabled in the upcoming meeting, Mohd Rashid said Parliament has yet to receive such a motion.

"We have yet to receive it to date. For government motions, the submission period is not that far off from the date of the sitting as compared to private motions which need to be submitted 14 days before," he said.

Prior to this, Muhyiddin said his legitimacy as Prime Minister and the Perikatan Nasional government's position would be determined in Parliament in September through a vote of confidence.

Meanwhile, Mohd Rashid said notifications for MPs were being distributed to enable them to prepare their questions and other matters.

The first meeting of the Fourth Session of the 14th Parliament will sit for 15 days from Sept 6 to 30, while the second meeting will run for 32 days from Oct 25 to Dec 16.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah will officiate the opening ceremony on Sept 6. – Bernama