KUALA LUMPUR: The Special Dewan Negara Sitting, which is supposed to take place between Aug 3 and 5, has been postponed to a date which will be determined later.
Dewan Negara Secretary Muhd Sujairi Abdullah in a notice issued today to the members of the upper house of Parliament said Senate President Senator Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim had received a notification from Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on July 31.
The notification from the Prime Minister stated that it was decided the special meeting of the house was adjourned in accordance with Standing Order 10 (3) of the Dewan Rakyat.
"This postponement was made in line with the recommendation of the Health Director-General (Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah) as well as the current risk assessment conducted by the Health Ministry (MoH).
"It follows the latest development of Covid-19 infection in which the MoH believes that the Malaysian Parliament is a risky locality for the spread of Covid-19," said the notice.
Yesterday, Dewan Rakyat secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin in a circular to members of Parliament informed them that the meeting on Aug 2 had been postponed to an undetermined date, in line with Dewan Rakyat Standing Order 11(3).
"This postponement is in line with the suggestion by the Health director-general and the risk assessment made by the Health Ministry, who are of the opinion that the Malaysian Parliament is a locality at-risk for the spread of Covid-19.
"Therefore, I have been directed by Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon to notify MPs that the Dewan Rakyat would not sit on Aug 2, 2021," he said in a statement.
The special Dewan Rakyat sitting was supposed to be held for five days from July 26 to 29 and Aug 2, while the Senate or Dewan Negara was to sit for three days starting Aug 3.
The special sitting of the lower house and upper house of Parliament was aimed at briefing all MPs as well as Senators on the National Recovery Plan (NRP), and to amend all legislation and rules to enable the Parliament sitting to be held in a hybrid manner.