MPs may seek clarification, provide views during special sitting

KOTA BHARU: Members of Parliament may seek clarification and give their views during the special session of the Dewan Rakyat which will take place for five days from July 26, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.

He said the matter had been informed to all MPs through a special notice dated July 15.

“So there is no one-sided explanation or just listening to briefings, that’s not true at all,” he said when met by reporters at the Kota Bharu MP Service Centre here on Sunday.

He said among the matters to be discussed at the special meeting were the Proclamation of Emergency on Jan 11, 2021, and the Emergency Ordinances to be tabled at the lower and upper houses of Parliament.

“With regard to the method used for the discussion, such as the duration given to the MPs, it is up to the Speaker to decide,” he said.

When asked how the Dewan Rakyat sitting would be implemented, Takiyuddin said in principle, it would be held physically.

“However, it would depend on the standard operating procedure (SOP), and this has yet to be decided by the Ministry of Health,” he said.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said MPs can intervene to ask questions, and even debate, during the Parliament’s five-day special sitting.

He said the use of the word ‘explanation by the minister’ in the Parliamentary calendar was a term and does not mean that ‘elected representatives will be attending the Parliament session merely to hear the government’s explanation’.

“The term explanation means the minister will provide an explanation on a certain matter and as far as I know, the standing orders allow members of parliament to intervene and ask (questions).

“… (and) it is up to the Speaker to allow time for the matter to be debated. It does not mean that one minister speaks and the others only listen,” he said in a virtual media conference after presenting food baskets around the Indera Mahkota Parliament here on Sunday.

Saifuddin said this when asked to comment on the claims of some opposition MPs who said that would be better for the special sitting to be held virtually, including on ‘Facebook live’ if it was merely to listen to the minister’s ‘lecture’.

Saifuddin also welcomed questions from netizens who were unclear on the use of the term ‘explanation by the minister’, saying that it was a healthy development that allowed him and his fellow colleagues in the government to provide accurate answers.