Malaysia’s Parliament sitting delayed by two months till 18 May 20 says Speaker

• Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s parliamentary majority will not be tested until 18 May 20 at the earliest, after Speaker Ariff Yusof revealed that the sitting originally scheduled for next 9 Mar 20 has been pushed back.
• In a statement on 27 Feb 20, he said he received a letter from the premier informing him of the postponement, and the new dates for the House of Representatives to convene in 2020.
• “I found the dates for the sessions are in line with… the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders,” Tan Sri Ariff said.
• Critics and members of civil society have called on Parliament to convene as soon as possible, after the toppled Pakatan Harapan (PH), led by former premier Mahathir Mohamad, claimed to have the backing of up to 114 of the 222 MPs just hours before Tan Sri Muhyiddin was sworn in as Prime Minister.
• However, with a Cabinet yet to be appointed, there would be no legislative agenda for the 9 Mar-16 Apr 20 sitting earlier planned by the previous government.
• Opponents of the new Perikatan Nasional government, including Tun Dr Mahathir, have expressed concerns that if Parliament is not convened soon, the new ruling coalition will have time to entice MPs to cross the aisle.
• In an immediate response, the opposition PH’s Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said that while the postponement was expected as a new government was just installed, an urgent sitting can still be held earlier.
• The new dates for Parliament to meet for the first time in 2020 are 18 May 20, in the final week of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, to 23 Jun 20, with a week-long break for the Aidilfitri celebration.
• A second session follows from 27 Jul 20 to 27 Aug 20, with Budget 2021 to be tabled on 2 Oct 20.

External Link : https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysias-parliament-sitting-delayed-by-two-months-till-may-18-says-speaker