Parliament to reconvene before Aug 1, says Malaysian law minister
Malaysia's parliament building in Kuala Lumpur. (File photo: Bernama)
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Takiyuddin Hassan said on Friday (Jul 2) that parliament will be reconvened before Aug 1.
In a statement, he said: "The federal government has always upheld the views of the king, in all matters related to the administration of the country, including parliament's sitting."
"In line with this, the prime minister, as leader of the House, has decided to call for the Malaysian parliament to convene as soon as possible before Aug 1. The matter will be finalised during the Cabinet ministers' meeting on Jul 7," added the de facto law minister.
Earlier in the day, the opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition called on all parliamentarians from both sides of the political divide to converge on the parliament building on Jul 19, if Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin does not make any announcement regarding a parliament sitting by Jul 5.
In a statement signed by PH’s component party presidents Anwar Ibrahim, Mohamad Sabu and Lim Guan Eng, the coalition said that it was regrettable that until Jul 2, neither Mr Muhyiddin nor Mr Takiyuddin had indicated any concrete steps to convene parliament as soon as possible.
Referring to a statement by the national palace on Jun 29, where King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah reiterated his view that parliament should reconvene as soon as possible, the PH leaders said that the king's third call for parliament to resume was a "historic" moment.
READ: Commentary - Malaysia PM Muhyiddin’s hand could be forced as pressure mounts for COVID-19 accountability
READ: Malaysian government acknowledges king's views, says PMO after palace calls for parliament to reconvene
“The presidential council is of the view that the prime minister and de facto law minister have committed treason against not only the king, but to the Malay rulers who also held the same view that parliament needs to sit quickly.”
“If the prime minister and his ministers are still stubbornly treasonous towards His Majesty and the Malay rulers, then they must take the responsibility for setting off a constitutional crisis,” PH stated.
READ: All to stay home after 8pm, most factories shut among tightened COVID-19 curbs for parts of KL and Selangor
Last month, the king held a series of meetings with the leaders of the political parties, followed by a special meeting of Malay rulers.
The national palace issued a statement expressing the king's view that it was not necessary to extend Malaysia's current state of emergency, instituted since January this year, beyond Aug 1, and that parliament should reconvene as soon as possible.
This was later followed by a joint statement by all the Malay rulers which also called for the federal parliament and state legislatures to convene at the earliest possible instance.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
