KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 31 — The first ever Parliamentary sitting since Perikatan Nasional took over the federal government will go on as previously scheduled on May 18, Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said today.

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of legal affairs said preparations are being done for the eventual Parliament sitting with precautions taken to face the Covid-19 outbreak.

“The Parliament is taking steps to be prepared for the Dewan Rakyat session that is scheduled for May 18, 2020.

“Several steps have been taken based on the developments of Phase Two of the movement control order (MCO) and the enhanced MCO at several locations,” Takiyuddin said in a statement.

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“The main concern of this government is to ensure the people’s, including parliamentarian’s, safety is guaranteed. So please give you full cooperation to authorities on duty who are trying their best to ensure the virus does not spread.”

Last week, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he wanted the stimulus packages announced by the government, designed to bolster the economy against the Covid-19 outbreak, to be debated in Parliament when it resumes in May.

He said it is the practice of democratic countries to debate such government initiatives to ensure proper implementation and minimise the risk of embezzlement.

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Originally the Parliament was scheduled for March 9 but was postponed for two months.

The delay dealt a massive blow to Pakatan Harapan and its allies that were previously hoping to challenge Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s support in Parliament, which they had planned to do this month.

Muhyiddin — who was later sworn in as the eighth prime minister — has since appointed several MPs who previously pledge support for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, into his Cabinet.