Speaker: Bloc voting not limited to only 80 MPs, all will be called in
PARLIAMENT | Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun has clarified that the Covid-19 prevention measure to only allow 80 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat at one time will not be enforced when a bloc voting is called.
A total of nine measures were read out by Deputy Speaker Abdul Rashid Hasnon this morning and Azhar further responded to queries by MPs, including RSN Rayer (Pakatan Harapan-Jelutong), on the matter...
PARLIAMENT | Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun has clarified that the Covid-19 prevention measure to only allow 80 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat at one time will not be enforced when a bloc voting is called.
A total of nine measures were read out by Deputy Speaker Abdul Rashid Hasnon this morning and Azhar further responded to queries by MPs, including RSN Rayer (Pakatan Harapan-Jelutong), on the matter.
Rayer had questioned the uneven number of 41 government MPs to 39 opposition MPs and Azhar reiterated it was a consensus reached among party whips present during a meeting held yesterday.
"We will not limit the voting to only 80 MPs, during voting we will give an opportunity to all...
"We will ring a bell for two minutes, wait 10 minutes, and another bell for two minutes, so all MPs outside of the hall can come in to vote," he said.
"So, there are no lies or deception like I saw on Twitter earlier.
"I think it's wrong when they only take the 80 people (ruling) without reading this last point (on bloc voting)," Azhar added.
He further told Rayer, who insisted on more explanation, that the rationale behind the move was to limit the amount of time all 222 MPs will be exposed in a large group of people.
"The voting time, maybe we will limit it to 15 or 20 minutes," he added.
Azhar also announced that press conferences by ministers and other MPs after the tabling of Budget 2021 tomorrow will be held at the Parliament's banquet area, due to movement restrictions imposed on selected media organisations allowed to cover the proceedings.
Dr Xavier Jayakumar (PKR-Kuala Langat) then questioned Azhar over the media restriction which was condemned by press freedom groups as an infringement on the rights of the media to carry out their duties.
Azhar, however, insisted that sacrifices must be made by all parties in order to comply with the Covid-19 prevention guidelines, which include enforcing a physical distance.
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