Deputy speaker: Parliament will not reconvene on March 8

 

Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon has clarified that Parliament will not reconvene on March 8 as reported by several media agencies, as the original calendar is no longer valid with the enforcement of the Emergency Ordinance.

He said that a call for a Parliament sitting must be done according to Section 14(1)(b) of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021 which states that the Parliament shall be summoned, prorogued and dissolved on a date as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong thinks appropriate.

“Then, other procedures need to be done, including the proclamation of the prorogue and calling for the 14th Parliament (to reconvene).

“It should be reminded that the notice from the Dewan Rakyat secretary to members of Parliament (on the meeting dates) alone is (at least) 28 days (before the commencement of each Parliament session),” he said in a Twitter posting tonight.

A statement by Parliament's corporate communications department also confirmed that a schedule that had remained posted on its official portal was the original calendar prior to the Emergency Declaration made by the King. 

Last Wednesday, Istana Negara in a statement said that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has expressed the view that Parliament may convene during the Emergency period on a date deemed appropriate by His Majesty, based on the advice of the prime minister.

- Bernama