When can Parliament reconvene?

Incumbent of the Malay Rulers Chair at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Prof Datuk Dr Shamrahayu Ab Aziz said Standing Order 11, for example, stated that the Leader or Deputy of the House shall determine at least 28 days before the commencement of each Session, the dates on which the House shall meet in the Session.

"Standing Order 11 also said that the Leader of the House, which is the Prime Minister, may vary the dates from time to time, but the question is whether or not the Standing Order 11 applies?

"In my opinion, it still applies as long as it was not denied by the Emergency Ordinance," she told Bernama here today.

Yesterday, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah expressed his opinion that Parliament should reconvene as soon as possible to allow Emergency Ordinances and the National Recovery Plan to be debated.

Shamrahayu said the King and the Prime Minister should reach a consensus in fixing the dates for the Parliament to reconvene.

She said this was because according to Section 14(1)(b) of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021, the Parliament may be summoned, prorogued or dissolved on the date the King thinks appropriate, while the Standing Orders of the Dewan Rakyat states that the Leader of the House has the power to decide, from time to time, the dates on which the House shall meet.

"The consensus on the dates must also receive royal assent. Only then, our system can run smoothly and harmoniously," she said.

For the lecturer at the College of Law, Government and International Studies at Universiti Utara Malaysia, Assoc Prof Dr Ahmad Marthada Mohamed said due to the current health crisis, the reconvening of Parliament should be upon advice from the MOH and MKN.

"These two agencies should advise the government as it involves health and safety issues and the sittings should not be held in the normal way," he said.

Meanwhile, occupational safety, emergency and public health expert Dr Hanafiah Basirun suggested that the Parliament sitting shall not be held continuously for a long time, but instead to have breaks in between for sanitation work to be done.

"Physical meeting can be held for 60 to 90 minutes and must be stopped for a while for sanitation work before it can resume," he said, stressing that compliance with the standard operating procedures, such as wearing double face masks and observing physical distancing should remain a priority.

He added that all Members of Parliament and the staff should also leave once the sitting is adjourned and avoid gathering in the lobby to prevent the spread of COVID-19.