KUALA LUMPUR: Questions and proposals from members of parliament are allowed when the Lower House meets tomorrow, Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun said.
"I will allow all questions and proposals," he said in an interview.
What was not allowed, he said, was the tabling of motions by MPs.
Based on Standing Order 11(3), the prime minister gets to decide the "business set down for that day", he said.
"A special sitting is different from a normal sitting. It is called by the prime minister and only he can appoint the business to be transacted during this special sitting.
"This is not unique to Malaysia as the House of Commons in the UK also has a similar practice."
According to the Order Paper for July 26, five statements will be made by five cabinet members, including Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is scheduled to speak on the government's National Recovery Plan, and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri, who will speak on the Proclamation of Emergency.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba will speak about Malaysia's action plan to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz on economic aid packages and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on the vaccination programme.
It is stated in the Order Paper that after the Statements by Ministers, MPs can seek clarification and ministers will address the issues raised.
Azhar pointed to Standing Order 14(1)(i), which included Statements by Ministers, saying this was a normal practice.
"In the house, there are several ways matters can be brought up. First is motions. Second is bills, if it is required by law. Then there is also Question and Answer time, as well as Ministers Question Time.
"Apart from all these, there are also Statements by Ministers, so this sitting will have explanations by ministers on policies and government-related matters."
Azhar said there was no limit to the number of MPs allowed to attend the special sitting.
He said the plan to ensure the safety of MPs during the session was to ask all parties' chief whips to rotate their members, based on the advice of the Health Ministry.
"We want to avoid the risk of Covid-19 infection in the house, which is why I will ask all chief whips to rotate their MPs every hour.
"If everyone still wants to sit inside and take the risk, then by all means, go ahead, but we must realise that Covid-19 will not only infect us, but also the people we meet after, such as our families and friends.
"I hope chief whips will understand and cooperate with my request for rotation because we will all be sitting in a closed space for hours."
On July 18, Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon said only 80 MPs would be allowed to attend the sitting, adding that the matter would be discussed in detail by the Dewan Rakyat committee and the chief whips.
Azhar said he and his two deputies, Rashid and Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, would rotate every one and a half hours.
Asked about Parliament's plan if there were positive cases reported in the building, Azhar said Parliament will follow the Health Ministry's advice, even if it involved postponing the Dewan Rakyat sitting.
"We can't do a hybrid Parliament session since the Standing Orders have yet to be amended.
"The Health director-general (Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah) said before that if there are cases in Parliament, the ministry will need to trace the movement of the infected person to find out who else has been exposed to the virus.
"This will be quite a process and if a drastic measure is needed, then that's what we will do because we have to respect the Health Ministry's advice and decision."
More than 95 per cent of parliamentarians have been vaccinated against Covid-19, a majority of whom have received both doses of the vaccine.
According to the latest figures, 205 lawmakers have received both doses, 12 have received only one dose and three have yet to be vaccinated.
Azhar, who is former Election Commission chief, said Parliament would always consider the opinions of all MPs, regardless of their party affiliation, and will not bow to political pressure.
"We have always done things according to what's provided for by the law and that's how it's going to be."