Kit Siang calls for Parliament to be declared essential service

DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang has called on the Perikatan Nasional government to declare Parliament as an essential service.

In a statement, the Iskandar Puteri MP also suggested 10 days of virtual parliamentary sitting after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's opening on May 18.

The parliamentary sitting has been scheduled to take place for one day on May 18.

Lim said Parliament should be declared an essential service regardless of whether the movement control order (MCO) is extended or not.

The third phase of the MCO is expected to be lifted on April 28.

"Parliament should be declared an essential service so that it could play its important role of scrutinising the government’s efforts to successfully combat the public health and economic crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"And to galvanise national unity and solidarity in the crisis.

"The standing orders committee of the Dewan Rakyat should meet urgently to prepare Parliament and the various select committees to enter the Internet era by holding virtual meetings," he said.

Lim also brought into comparison the United Kingdom which introduced the parliamentary sitting to the digital platform from the physical. 

He said the UK has decided to carry on with the parliamentary sitting despite having a burgeoning case of Covid-19.

"Can the prime minister, the minister in charge of parliamentary affairs, or any cabinet minister explain why Parliament in Malaysia, with 5,425 Covid-19 cases and 92 deaths, is meeting for only one day, when the Parliament in the UK, which has about 24 times more cases than Malaysia, is in active session with digital parliamentary proceedings to carry out the important task of government scrutiny?"

He urged the government to meet parliamentary opposition leaders to reach an agreement for virtual parliamentary proceedings to be held for at least 10 days in May.

The Dewan Rakyat was originally scheduled to sit for 15 days between May 18 and June 23 for its third session.

It had adjourned its previous session on Dec 5 last year and was supposed to reconvene on March 9. - Mkini