Govt will involve opposition in hybrid Parliament plans - Muhyiddin

 

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the government will involve the opposition in a committee to study the reconvening of Parliament and also whether it should be done in a hybrid mode - a combination of physical and virtual presence.

This followed opposition complaints that they were excluded from the committee and their concern that it was a ploy to prevent Parliament from functioning properly and reducing it to a "rubber stamp".

“I asked the committee comprising representatives of the government and the opposition to evaluate the matter and only after that will they inform me whether they are ready or not to commence the parliamentary session,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Muhyiddin also promised that both government backbenchers and opposition representatives in the committee will have a say in the decision.

He said the government needed to decide whether the Parliament sitting can be held physically and whether a hybrid version was in line with Parliament's standing orders.

He added that it was not his intention to delay the Parliament sitting.

The prime minister stressed that he was not trying to deny the rights of elected representatives by going against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's views.

"I understand my responsibilities as prime minister but I have to act fairly to ensure there are no arising issues or problems later on… This is something I hope the people can understand and wait for (Parliament session),” he said.

The king, backed by the conference of rulers, had called for Parliament to convene as soon as possible.

However, de facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan had insisted on a September to October timeline for the reopening of the Dewan Rakyat. - Mkini