Opposition MPs have expressed concern that the forthcoming Parliament sitting on July 26 may turn into a mere government briefing session.
This came after the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) statement on the reconvening of Parliament made no mention of a debate.
Instead, the PMO said the sitting would be to brief MPs on the National Recovery Plan (NRP) and to approve amendments to allow for a future hybrid Parliament sitting.
This was on top of fulfilling the legal requirement for all emergency ordinances to be laid before both Houses.
Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said the Parliament sitting should not be a mere formality as he wants to raise various issues afflicting the people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“What’s the point of reconvening Parliament without debates and voting, only to hear the government give a ceramah.
“I would like to raise the people’s issues - double standards in the standard operating procedures (SOPs), university fees and the fate of undergraduates, interest-free loan moratorium... cash handouts for the people, how small businesses are suffering but factories are okay.
“If we want to reconvene, then give as much space as possible. Not as a formality so we can hear the government give a ceramah,” Syed Saddiq said in a Facebook post.
Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin raised similar concerns.
“From this (PMO) statement, MPs are increasingly concerned that Parliament sitting will become just a briefing session.
“No questions, no debates. How do we bring issues of rakyat - vaccines, (loan) moratorium, enhanced movement control order, SOP?
“Don’t let parliamentary democracy die in the intensive care unit, please,” Sim said on Twitter.
Yesterday, the PMO announced that Parliament would convene on July 26 after repeated nudging from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who had called on the Perikatan Nasional government to convene the Dewan Rakyat as soon as possible.
Parliament has been suspended since Jan 11, under a state of emergency which will expire on Aug 1.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak called the PN government a “coward”.
“After eight months without a sitting, Parliament (Dewan Rakyat) will only convene for five days. The first day will be the royal address, while the main issue for the remaining four days will be on debating and approving whether Parliament can sit in hybrid mode.
“After that, the emergency proclamation and ordinances will be tabled before us.
“By right, the NRP, aid for the people, measures to combat Covid-19 and the emergency ordinances should be scrutinised and debated,” he said.
Najib, who is Pekan MP, said the people expected more from lawmakers.
However, he said the PN government appears to only allow MPs to debate about how to hold a hybrid Parliament session through virtual and physical means and then go on a break again, for many months.
The PN government’s arrangement, Najib added, was also disrespectful of the Agong’s decree, which had called for the emergency ordinances to be debated. - Mkini
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