UMNO insists Parliament, State Assembly sessions be held during Emergency

KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO is proposing to the government that the Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies reconvene during the Emergency, said UMNO secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.

He said the matter was decided at the UMNO Supreme Council meeting today which was also in line with the statement of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah who expressed the view that the Parliament can convene during an Emergency.

Ahmad said the primary rational considered on the matter included that the government cannot be seen as attempting to impede the practice of parliamentary democracy.

“Parliament and the State Legislative Assembly are the platform for check and balance by the people’s representatives so that the government does not act at its whims and fancies leading to the interest and welfare of the people being marginalised today,” he said after the meeting here today.

Earlier, Al-Sultan Abdullah had expressed his view that Parliament could convene during an Emergency in effect now at a date deemed suitable by the Agong on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The matter is enshrined in sub-section 14(1) (b) of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021 which states that the Parliament shall convene, prorogue and dissolve on such a date as His Majesty deems fit on the advice of the Prime Minister.

At the same time, Ahmad said a special standard operating procedure (SOP) be developed to enable the Parliament and State Assembly sessions to be held as practised by countries all over the world.

Meanwhile, he said UMNO would be sending a letter to the director-general of the Registrar of Societies (RoS) and the director-general of the National Security Council (MKN) to seek advice and guidelines to hold its party election this year.

He said the matter was in line with the regulations enshrined in the party’s Constitution and COVID-19 SOP.

He added that to ensure the process of party election which would involve UMNO branch delegates meeting including Wanita, Youth and Puteri wings in all 191 divisions nationwide could be held effectively and smoothly by taking into consideration the rising number of COVID-19 infections.

Apart from that Ahmad said the meeting also insisted through UMNO ministers for the government to quickly set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the exposures revealed in the book written by the former Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas following many police reports made on the matter.

-- BERNAMA