KUALA LUMPUR: There is no necessity for amendments to be made to the Dewan Rakyat Standing Order to allow for an online session of Parliament to be conducted, said PKR's Bayan Baru Member of Parliament Sim Tze Tzin.
He was responding to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin's statement today that amendments must be made to the Standing Order before the opposition's request for an online parliamentary sitting can be fulfilled.
"We do not need Standing Order changes to do a hybrid meeting now. It can be done with the current Standing Order," the former Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Deputy Minister said when contacted by the New Straits Times.
Sim explained that a virtual sitting can be done with the minimum quorum of 26 MPs, while the others can join the sitting via online platforms to observe proceedings of the lower house of Parliament.
When an MP is required to speak, Sim said, the person can be called on to be physically present at Parliament.
"The Parliament can convene with a hybrid system like at Westminster now.
"The most important thing is the (need for) political will to do a proper meeting, (and) I observe that there is lack of leadership (by) the new minister in charge of Parliament," he said.
Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh voiced a similar view, saying that Standing Orders 90, 99 and 100 of the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders provide powers to the Speaker to make the necessary rulings.
"You don't need to wait for the Standing Orders Committee to meet and amend the Standing Order.
"Standing Order 90, 99 and 100 give wide powers to the Speaker to suspend the Standing Order or to make a ruling (on the hybrid sitting).
"What a poor (and) lazy attempt to blame it on the Standing Order Committee, and that the Standing Order (does) not provide (an alternative during) the Covid-19 pandemic," she posted on her Twitter account today.
Earlier today, former science minister Yeo Bee Yin told Khairy to step up and offer technological solutions so that Parliament can conduct a virtual sitting.
Khairy responded by telling Yeo to check with her colleagues such as Sim, Hannah and Sungai Buloh MP Sivarasa Rasiah – who are part of the Standing Order Committee – on why they didn't discuss the matter in a meeting.
According to Khairy, the committee should've convened and discussed amendments to the Standing Orders to allow for virtual parliamentary sitting.
Yeoh who is also former Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister, pointed out that the best way to resolve the issue would be to let the Dewan Rakyat decide on it.
"When in doubt as to whether or not online proceedings can proceed, the best (thing to do) is to put it to the House to decide via a motion.
"We could (have a) debate on this on May 18, if not for a fearful government," she wrote, referring to the government's decision to hold a one-day sitting limited to only a Royal Address without allowing the House to table or debate any motion.
Following this, the opposition claimed that the reason the government decided on a single-day sitting is because Putrajaya is not confident of having the majority in the Lower House.
The Parliament comprising the Dewan rakyat and Dewan Negara will meet for the first time this year on May 18. It will see 222 MPs and 70 senators attend the opening of the first meeting, of the third term of the 14th Parliament, when The Yang di- Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah will give the royal address. Both houses will then adjourn.
The second meeting of the Dewan Rakyat will be for 25 days and will take place between July 13 and Aug 27, and this will be followed by a third meeting, which will be the budget meeting, and will run for 36 days between Sept 28 and Nov 26.