KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — Former Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Ariff Yusoff said the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the cabinet should advise the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong to convene Parliament sitting soon before the end of Emergency period which ends on August 1st.
Ariff said that after having examined the statements from the palace along with the Keeper of the Ruler’s Seal today, the King has expressed a clear view that Parliament should be reconvened immediately.
“His Majesty expressed a clear view that Parliament is an important platform to discuss the Emergency Ordinances and the National Recovery Plan as well as to scrutinise expenditures to address pandemics and people’s hardships.
“The opinion given is very appropriate and accurate while reflecting the function of the Agong under the Malaysian Constitution, which includes His Majesty’s right to obtain information, consult and advise the prime minister and the Cabinet on national matters,” he said in a statement today.
Ariff, who was replaced by the Perikatan Nasional government last year also said the recommendation is also in line with the important requirements of Article 150 (3) of the Federal Constitution, namely the Declaration of Emergency and the Ordinances under it must be tabled in Parliament.
“This must mean (the sitting should be held) before the end of the current Emergency period which is August 1, 2021,” he said.
Earlier today, Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Tan Sri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad said in a statement that the Agong and the Conference of Rulers have said today that there is no need for the ongoing State of Emergency to be extended past its original end date of August 1.
In a separate statement, the Controller of Royal Household Datuk Indera Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said a special meeting of the Conference of Rulers chaired earlier today have decided that Parliament should reconvene soon and the government should be stable to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and its effect on people’s life and economy.
