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KUALA LUMPUR: Only 80 of the 222 MPs will be able to enter the Dewan Rakyat at any time from tomorrow, and sessions will be held from 10 a.m. M. At 2 p. M. Starting Monday.
Vice President Rashid Hasnon said that 41 of the 80 deputies will be from Perikatan Nasional (PN) and the rest from the opposition and independents.
He said this is to stop the spread of Covid-19 in Parliament.
The ruling was immediately criticized by opposition MPs, who felt that Parliament should have better plans to curb the spread of the virus.
The decision will affect the presentation of the 2021 budget proposals by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz tomorrow and subsequent discussions.
The 2021 supply bill will be introduced by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Parliamentarians will then debate the bill on two levels: politics and committee, starting Monday.
At the policy stage, deputies will have eight days to debate, while at the committee level, which analyzes the nitty-gritty or technical aspects of the budget, the debate will take place over 11 days.
The current Dewan Rakyat meeting is scheduled to end on December 15, but Rashid said it could be extended until December 17.
In the past, daily sessions used to last until late at night, sometimes even until midnight.
However, Rashid assured MPs that they would have enough time to express their views on the budget, even with the new sitting hours.
He said the 80 MPs allowed in the main chamber would be determined by the parties and they would be provided with special entry passes.
“The 80 deputies can register their entry through their laptops,” he said.
But for the voting process, the 222 deputies will be allowed entry, he said.
Oral questions, which are generally asked on Mondays and Wednesdays, will now be limited to one hour, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., instead of 90 minutes.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, oral questions will be limited to 55 minutes, from 10.05am to 11am, with only one additional question allowed.
“The additional question has to be as short as possible,” Rashid said.
Likewise, the Question Time for Ministers, which takes place every Tuesday and Thursday, will be shortened from 30 minutes to five minutes, parliamentarians will read their questions and ministers will give written answers, which will also be uploaded to the Parliament website.
Rashid then called for a voice vote on the new rules, which were agreed to by the chamber.
Previously, he told parliamentarians that a discussion had been held with all the whips of the party who had accepted the restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
But Khalid Samad (PH-Shah Alam) asked if a new motion would be filed if the number of cases was reduced, to which de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan said they would review the motion if it happened.
Several members again called for Parliament to meet virtually, while others complained about the reduction in question time.
Takiyuddin said that virtual parliamentary sessions were not covered by the Standing Order, but that the situation would be reviewed.
Teo Nie Ching (PH-Kulai) expressed dissatisfaction with the limited time given to ministers to answer questions from deputies.
Previously, he said, ministers were given 45 to 60 minutes, “but if they are only given 15 minutes, there won’t be enough time to answer all of our questions.”
Takiyuddin replied that if there was not enough time, the ministers would give their answers in writing.
