Only official media to give coverage on the Parliament sitting May 18
PUCHONG: Only RTM and Bernama are allowed to give coverage of the opening ceremony of the 14th Parliamentary Assembly which will take place on Monday, May 18, 2020 in the Parliament building.
The decision is in line with the government’s decision to implement the Movement Control Order under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 and the Police Act 1967 and further preventive measures.
The matter was disclosed in a press release signed by the Malaysian Parliament’s Corporate Communications Division Secretary, Muhd Nor Aswadi Md Nor.
The House of Representatives will meet daily on May 18 to discuss matters related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
No Q&A sessions allowed for this special session. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law), Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan, said the position of MPs would also be extended to meet the social distancing requirements set out by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
“Considering the government’s stance that any form of public assembly is not to take place in current situation to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection, the Parliamentary session scheduled to be held on only one day on May 18, 2020 and should be maintained.”
“The position of the Members of Parliament in the House of Representatives will also be modified to practice social distancing to ensure that all members of the House participate in the scope of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) set by the Ministry of Health,” he said.
Opposition parties proposed to hold an online session so that issues related to the people can be debated longer hours.
The decision resulted in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) led by Dr Mahathir leaving Pakatan Harapan to cause the PH government to collapse.
By: Hema Subramaniam
