The Dewan Rakyat is convening for the first time after the 15th general election.
MPs will be electing a new Dewan Rakyat speaker, followed by a confidence vote in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
We will bring you the updates from time to time.
Dewan Rakyat breaks for lunch after all MPs sworn in
1.10pm: All 222 MPs have taken their oath as lawmakers.
The Dewan Rakyat will now break for a joint lunch event and will reconvene at 2.30pm.
Morning session extended
12.55pm: The Dewan Rakyat has passed a quick motion to extend the morning session beyond 1pm - which is when the Lower House is scheduled to break for recess.
This is so the swearing-in of all MPs can be completed before the break.
As of the time of writing, there are about 20 opposition MPs who have yet to take their oath.
Deputy minister late due to feeling unwell - Fadillah
12.40pm: Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof explains that Deputy Economy Minister Hanifah Hajar Taib was late to attend Parliament as she was not feeling well earlier.
FMT cites Fadillah as saying this caused the GPS lawmaker to delay her journey to Parliament, resulting in her missing the speaker election.
House will debate motion of confidence before voting
12.30pm: There will be a debate on the motion of confidence for Anwar Ibrahim before MPs vote on the matter.
Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli (Harapan-Pandan) tweets that he will be among the debaters, and is expected to address the Lower House at around 3.30pm.
Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof (GPS-Petra Jaya) is expected to table the motion in the afternoon session.
Swearing-in of opposition MPs begins
12.20pm: Opposition representatives begin their turn in taking oaths as MPs.
Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut) is the first to be sworn in, followed by Muhyiddin Yassin (PN-Pagoh) and Abdul Hadi Awang (PN-Marang).
MPs’ traditional pieces turn heads
12.10pm: Three MPs stand out for wearing unique traditional headgear during the swearing-in ceremony.
Keningau MP Jeffrey Kitingan is seen with the traditional ‘sigar’ representing the Kadazan Dusun ethnic group. Often hand-woven from a special cloth, the different colours carry various meanings.
From Sarawak, DAP's Mas Gading MP Mordi Bimol sports the 'tanjak' - a fabric head wrap which is usually worn as part of a Malay man's traditional outfit.
Meanwhile, second-term Cameron Highlands MP Ramli Mohd Nor - the only Orang Asli representative in the Dewan Rakyat - also retains his image of wearing a traditional 'topi tempo' woven out of palm leaves.
Aside from the conventional black songkok, other head coverings for male MPs include the white turban.
Youth group protests removal of controversial TikTok videos
12.07pm: Ten members from Kami Anak Muda Independent (Kami) arrive at Parliament clad in black shirts bearing the group’s logo.
They seek to hand over a memorandum to Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, protesting against the recent removal of Tiktok videos that violated community guidelines.
Kami president Syafiq Aziz claims that removing these videos infringes on the youth’s freedom of speech.
Asked about the May 13 Tiktok videos which incited the blanket removal of videos violating community guidelines, Syafiq claims other videos that are not provocative, extremist or sensitive in nature have also been banned.
Communications and Digital Ministry staff Ahmad Firdaus Mohd received the group’s memorandum.
Sighted by Malaysiakini, it calls on the minister to uphold freedom of speech as long as it is ethical, to be fair when removing videos even if it involves Pakatan Harapan supporters, and to prevent “double standards” by allowing pro-government propaganda to dominate social media.
Kami appears to be an entity linked to Perikatan Nasional, and one of its members had spoken at a PN ceramah in October.
Backbenchers take their oath
11.40am: MPs from block D of the Dewan Rakyat are being sworn in now, with Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (Harapan-Bandar Tun Razak) the first in line, followed by former premier Ismail Sabri Yaakob (BN-Bera).
Block D consists of 61 MPs, all of whom are backbenchers.
After them, it will finally be the turn of opposition MPs to get sworn in.
Pro-Najib NGOs want probe against judge declassified
11.16am: An NGO coalition dubbed “Gabungan Gerakan Keadilan Untuk Dato Sri’ Najib” is seeking a review and the declassification of MACC’s investigation report against Court of Appeal judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.
Reading their memorandum outside Parliament’s gates, the coalition’s spokesperson Lokman Noor Adam claims that Nazlan had a “conflict of interest” when presiding over Najib’s SRC international trial. He claims that Najib’s conviction was “planned”.
Lokman adds that MACC’s investigation found Nazlan liable to be charged under Section 220 Penal Code, pertaining to judges who “corruptly or maliciously commit any person for trial or to confinement”.
Upon conviction, the offence is punishable with up to seven years imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Several representatives have entered Parliament grounds to hand their memorandum to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said.
NGOs protest Najib’s jailing, wants to hand memo to minister
11.08am: A group of NGOs arrive near the Parliament gates protesting the imprisonment of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.
More than 100 supporters are present but only 10 are allowed to approach Parliament’s gates, says former Umno supreme council member Lokman Noor Adam, who was among the crowd.
The supporters are seen holding up signs that read “Free Najib” and “Justice for Bossku”.
They seek to hand a memorandum to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said.
Najib is serving 12 years in the Kajang prison after being convicted in the SRC International case. He also has to pay an RM210 million fine.
Deputy minister who missed speaker vote sworn in
11.05am: Deputy Economy Minister Hanifah Hajar Taib is now in Parliament and has been sworn in.
It is believed that she had arrived at the August House late and missed the vote on the Dewan Rakyat speaker.
Absent MP denies govt two-thirds in speaker vote
10.45am: The total number of MPs who voted during the speaker election is 221, one short of a full house.
Deputy Economy Minister Hanifah Hajar Taib (GPS-Mukah) appears to be the absent MP.
It is unclear why she was not in the Dewan Rakyat.
With Hanifah, the government would have 148 MPs on its side, a two-thirds majority.
MPs take their oath with Anwar in lead
10.40am: MPs are now being sworn in.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (Pakatan Harapan-Tambun) is the first to take the oath, to be followed by his two deputy prime ministers.
Johari urges MPs to prioritise national interests
10.35am: Johari Abdul pledges to use his experience as a former member of the diplomatic corps, businessperson, and MP to carry out his duties. He also vows to carry out his duties fairly.
Johari then calls on MPs to prioritise national interests instead of using Dewan Rakyat as a political battlefield.
He also thanks the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the formation of the new government, and voters for carrying out their responsibilities during the 15th general election.
The speaker then leads the Dewan Rakyat in a moment of silent prayer for the victims of the Batang Kali landslide tragedy.
Ex-Sungai Petani MP Johari is new speaker
10.25am: Johari Abdul has been appointed as Dewan Rakyat speaker with 147 votes, one shy of a two-thirds majority.
The opposition candidate, Kangar MP Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, received 74 votes.
After Johari (top picture) puts on the speaker's robes, Shahidan Kassim (Perikatan Nasional-Arau) quips: “Congratulations Umno.”
Small group demonstrating outside Parliament
10.15am: A small group of about 20 people are seen lining up the road a few hundred metres towards Parliament, raising several banners highlighting their demands for the government to address cost of living issues.
The group, dubbed Pertubuhan Gagasan Inovasi Rakyat Selangor (PGIR), is seen carrying a banner urging the government to approve a one-off withdrawal from EPF.
According to a statement by PGIR, among those who should qualify for the proposed EPF withdrawal are housewives and single mothers without a stable income, and former private sector employees who were laid off or quit and are finding it difficult to secure a permanent job.
Police personnel in uniforms are also on scene as the group awaits official vehicles belonging to MPs entering Parliament.
The group’s memorandum was received by former Hang Tuah Jaya MP Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin.
Ballot voting for speaker starts
10.07am: The election of the Dewan Rakyat speaker is underway.
The government has nominated former Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul and the opposition has named Kangar MP Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad.
It is being conducted by a ballot vote.
Agong not present, royal address slated next year
10.05am: As is normal practice for the first session of Parliament when the Dewan Rakyat convenes after a general election, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is not present for proceedings.
Instead, his proclamation for Parliament to convene is read out by the Dewan Rakyat secretary.
The king's first address to the new Parliament is typically on the second day. However as this is a brief session, Malaysiakini was informed that the royal address is only slated for next year.
Parliament is in session
10am: The bell has been rung. Parliament is in session.
Long queues
9.25am: It takes about 30 minutes for non-MPs to clear the queue just to get into the Parliament building, considerably longer than before.
Press personnel are still largely confined to a windowless room - often known as "the dungeon" - where they can follow debates through television.
Occasionally, MPs will hold press conferences in the media room.
Proceedings to start with speaker’s election
9am: As usual, today’s Dewan Rakyat session will begin at 10am.
MPs will first elect a new Dewan Rakyat speaker.
PKR’s Johari Abdul is slated to be the government’s candidate for the job while Perikatan Nasional will nominate former Kangar MP Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad.
Once a new speaker is elected, MPs will then be sworn in, after which they will elect the deputy speakers.
BN’s Cameron Highlands MP Ramli Md Nor and Pakatan Harapan’s Lanang MP Alice Lau are expected to be the government’s candidates.
Following this, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail will table the symbolic motion for police to ensure that MPs are not obstructed from entering Parliament.
After that, the government will table for the first reading a bill on the Consolidated Fund - likely to be part of the “mini-budget”.
The first reading will have no debates and is a procedural matter.
This will be followed by the biggest event of today’s session - the vote of confidence on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to be tabled by Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof.
It is likely that the Consolidated Fund bill and other budget bills to keep Putrajaya in operation will be debated tomorrow. - Mkini
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