Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi asked when the government intends to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to reconvene Parliament as the country moves out of a full movement control order (MCO) and more businesses are allowed to open.
"Considering that no more states are under the (full) MCO, I wonder when will Parliament reconvene?" he said in a statement on Facebook.
The new rules, which will come into force on Friday, March 5, will see among others the reopening of tourism sites, cinemas and wellness centres, subject to standard operating procedures (SOP) to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Zahid also pointed out Agong's statement that the emergency proclamation was not intended to block Parliament.
Therefore, the Bagan Datuk MP said the sitting of Parliament should resume, despite the ongoing state of emergency.
"Let's have a sitting in the interest of the people and country. This is a democratic country," he added.
The MCO was first imposed on Jan 13. A state of emergency was also imposed on Jan 11, but this was only made public a day later.
The emergency proclamation, which expires in August, also saw the suspension of Parliament.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the emergency was necessary to help combat the Covid-19 pandemic but he was criticised for this and accused of trying to block Parliament after losing his majority in the House.
Since then, Muhyiddin has regained his simple majority after another two PKR MPs defected to his side.
Muhyiddin has also given his assurance that he will hold elections when the pandemic is brought under control.
The pandemic had seen slow but gradual improvements with 1,555 new cases yesterday, the lowest for this year.
The Agong had said that Parliament can convene during the emergency, but it must be on the advice of the prime minister, thus shifting the focus to Muhyiddin.
Section 14(1)(b) of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021 states that “the Parliament shall be summoned, prorogued and dissolved on a date as the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong thinks appropriate”.
It does not mention the prime minister. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.