Muhyiddin assures Parliament will reconvene in Phase 3 of exit plan

 

Muhyiddin Yassin has assured that Parliament will re-open when the country enters Phase Three of the government's Covid-19 exit plan.

In a televised speech this evening, the prime minister said the country is projected to enter Phase Three in September or October.

To enter this phase, there must be an average of less than 2,000 Covid-19 cases daily, sufficient ICU capacity and up to 40 percent of the population fully vaccinated.

Putrajaya, in a briefing to media editors this afternoon, indicated that the timeline for transitioning from one phase to another is not fixed.

If all three indicators are met earlier, it will expedite the transition into the next phase. On the same note, if the indicators are not met on time, this will be delayed.

For example, if all Phase Three indicators are met in mid-July, the country can move out of Phase Two earlier - subject to a risk assessment by the Health Ministry.

Malaysiakini was made to understand that Parliament will re-open according to this timeline regardless of whether the emergency is still in place.

Parliament was suspended after the emergency was enacted in January to battle the pandemic.

Asked if the emergency would be extended beyond Aug 1, Muhyiddin told media editors this depends on the independent committee tasked with advising the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the matter.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin

Meanwhile, in his speech, the prime minister warned against disrupting the government's efforts to combat Covid-19.

"Let there be no group that intentionally causes anxiety and confusion among the people to the point it disrupts the government's main task in combating the Covid-19 pandemic," he said.

What about hybrid Parliament sitting proposal?

It is unclear whether Parliament reopening under Phase Three of the exit plan will override, incorporate, or come after plans for the House to reconvene via a hybrid method as proposed by de facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan.

A committee consisting of the Dewan Rakyat speaker, Dewan Negara president, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Dewan Negara deputy president, both deputy speakers of the Dewan Rakyat and Parliament's chief administrator is studying the proposal.

However, Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin, who is also a top Muhyiddin lieutenant in Bersatu - has been insistent that Parliament will only reconvene after herd immunity is achieved.

- Mkini