KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — The final date of the special parliamentary sitting slated on Monday will be postponed to a later date following the instruction of the prime minister, MPs have confirmed.
The MPs today received a copy of an email from the Dewan Rakyat Secretary-General Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin announcing the matter, saying he was instructed by Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon to announce the matter.
“Yang di-Pertua Dewan Rakyat office has been informed by the honourable prime minister that the special sitting for the third term of 14th Parliament this Monday has been postponed to another date that will be determined soon.
“This notification is made by the honourable prime minister in accordance with standing order 11(3) of the Dewan Rakyat,” he said in the letter sighted by Malay Mail.
Nizam Mydin added that the postponement is in line with the suggestion from the current risk assessment that has been done by the Ministry of Health after the newest development on the Covid-19 infection in Parliament.
The Parliament special sitting has been adjourned for the fourth time on Thursday until 5.15pm, hours after an uproar due to a statement by Istana Negara informing the Agong’s displeasure of the government.
The latest postponement was also made after the Parliament office was informed by Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah that there have been two new Covid-19 positive cases detected within the Parliament compound.
Earlier that day, Istana Negara released a statement from Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah in which he said he had not given the royal assent that was constitutionally required to revoke the Emergency Ordinances.
The Agong said Law Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan’s announcement in Parliament was consequently premature and inaccurate.
The Prime Minister’s Office later defended the decision, saying the government had followed the Federal Constitution in its action.
