Excitement as politicians swap sides on first day of Dewan Rakyat

This is the first Dewan Rakyat sitting since Pakatan Harapan won the election on May 9.

KUALA LUMPUR: MPs from both sides of the divide have arrived at Parliament for the 14th Dewan Rakyat sitting, the first since Pakatan Harapan (PH) took federal power in the May 9 general election.

Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman were among the PH parliamentarians who were seen arriving ahead of the 10am session.

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang, who is Iskandar Puteri MP, and Gombak MP Mohamed Azmin Ali were also seen arriving at the Dewan Rakyat.

On the Barisan Nasional (BN) front, former prime minister Najib Razak, who is Pekan MP, arrived with other BN leaders including Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman and Sembrong MP Hishammuddin Hussein.

Tajuddin said he was excited to be part of the opposition during this Parliament sitting as he could now ask a lot of questions.

“We won’t be an opposition like them,” he said, laughing.

Hishammuddin meanwhile said, “I feel good,” while Kota Marudu MP Maximus Ongkili gave members of the media the thumbs-up sign, saying, “We are back.”

When asked what sort of sitting he expected, DAP veteran Lim said, “We will find out.”

Subang MP Wong Chen meanwhile said the government MPs would have to be prepared to face the opposition, which had 60 years of experience in running the country.

“We must not underestimate the opposition,” he said. “They have 60 years of experience and may have information on some of the leaders and use them during them during debates.”

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who entered the Dewan Rakyat several minutes before 10am, said, “I am fine” when asked how he was feeling.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting will be held for 20 days until Aug 16. -FMT