Start of Dewan Rakyat session delayed, not enough MPs present

PARLIAMENT | The Dewan Rakyat was off to a false start this morning after the House realised there weren't enough MPs present.

The day started with the customary ringing of the bell at 10am as a signal for MPs to enter the House, followed by prayer.

As soon as the prayer session finished, Hasan Baharom (Tampin - Harapan) was invited to pose the first question during Question Time.

However, Abdul Rahman Mohamad (Lipis - BN) interjected. "Standing Order. I see that there is not enough quorum".

Dewan Rakyat speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof then proceeded to count the number of MPs in the House.

"There are only 24... sound the bell again," he said. The Dewan Rakyat needs 26 MPs to proceed with its session.

The 26th MP to enter the House was newly-minted Tanjung Piai MP Wee Jeck Seng.

The bell was rung for almost three minutes, after which there were a total of 28 MPs in the House.

This is not the first time Dewan Rakyat did not have enough quorum to proceed.

On Oct 17, the evening session of Dewan Rakyat was briefly suspended after the number of MPs in the House fell below 26.

"Okay, let's start again," said Mohamad Ariff.

Kelana Jaya MP Wong Chen, in a Facebook post later, said there were only one minister and one deputy minister present in the morning.

"The sitting was suspended for two minutes, and deputy ministers and MPs who were having coffee at the lounge rushed in.

"The proceedings then continued with around 32 MPs this morning, with one minister and five deputy ministers present at 10.10am. The government needs to buck up," Wong Chen said. - Mkini