KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan today criticised Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for not being serious in the reopening of the Parliament.

Citing the Malay proverb "seperti melepaskan batuk di tangga” which simply means doing work without putting in effort, the Pontian MP accused the prime minister of not being whole-hearted in the decision to reopen Parliament.

"‘Seperti melepaskan batuk di tangga’ — that’s the saying when you open Parliament without seriousness,” he posted on Twitter.

"Members of Parliament will become like a ‘rubber stamp’, no longer lawmakers, policy makers, givers of ideas and suggestion for the benefit of people and the country.”

Earlier, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Parliament will sit for five days starting July 26.

PMO in a statement said that Dewan Rakyat proceedings will take place from July 26 to July 29 and August 2, the statement said. Meanwhile, the Senate will sit for three days from August 3 to August 5.

Prior to today’s announcement, Muhyiddin had faced growing pressure to convene Parliament amid mounting criticism over his government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Perikatan Nasional administration refused to cave in until today amid talks that Muhyiddin was trying to prevent the Opposition from ousting him through a no-confidence vote.