Penang asks Agong to allow its state legislative assembly to convene

GEORGE TOWN, June 17 — The Penang government will be obtaining an approval from its governor to write to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to allow the state legislative assembly to convene.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government feels that the state legislative assembly too needs to convene as the Emergency Ordinance and Malaysia’s Covid-19 recovery plan has also impacted the state administration.

“Both the Dewan Rakyat and state legislative assembly are important platforms for elected representatives to discuss and debate on various issues particularly in the prevention and management of Covid-19,” he said in a statement today.

He added that these platforms also allow for discussions on the federal and state government’s allocations for the country and state’s economic recovery to assist the people.

Chow referred to the announcement by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al- Mustafa Billah Shah yesterday that Parliament should convene as soon as possible to enable proper discussion of the Emergency Ordinance and Malaysia’s Covid-19 recovery plan and hoped that the state legislative assembly will also be allowed to convene.

He said the state government and all of the state assemblymen in Penang are supportive of the decision by the Malay monarchs made during a special meeting of the Conference of Rulers yesterday that there is no need to extend the state of emergency after August 1.

“The state government plans to use any allocations under the Emergency Ordinance 2021, which is Section 15 (1) of the Ordinance, to apply for approval from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong through the Penang governor for the state legislative assembly to convene immediately,” he said.

He said the legislative assembly can convene with strict procedures that were implemented previously in October 2020 and were proven effective in preventing the spread of the Covid-19 virus during the sitting.

He said the state government and the legislative assembly will not take any risks and will ensure that it prevents the spread of Covid-19 during the sitting by implementing procedures based on advice from the state health department and national security council especially if the number of cases in the state are still high.