After MPs, senators gather to call for reopening of Parliament
Published on: Tuesday, August 03, 2021
By: FMT
The senators handing over a letter to a representative of Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim, asking for Parliament to reconvene.
Kuala Lumpur: A day after opposition MPs attempted to march to Parliament to protest against its closure, 12 senators have gathered on a bridge near the building, asking for the Dewan Negara to reconvene.
The special Dewan Negara sitting, originally scheduled for Aug 3 to 5, has been put off, following the postponement of the final day sitting for the Dewan Rakyat scheduled for yesterday.
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One of the senators, Yusmadi Yusof, said Parliament was safe as all the SOPs were in place and the majority of the staff and MPs and senators had been fully vaccinated.
“In our opinion, we have followed all the rules. Last Friday, we all had Covid-19 swabs tests.
“Parliament is safe to be used as a meeting place because 99% (of parliament staff) have been vaccinated.”
The senators also submitted a letter to a representative of Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim, expressing their concern over the closure.
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The letter stressed the importance of reopening the Dewan Negara for the sake of representing all people, as there are senators appointed specifically to represent minority groups such as the Orang Asli and people with disabilities.
To deny its sitting, they said, would mean denying the rights of these groups.
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They also echoed calls made by their lower House counterparts for the emergency ordinances to be tabled and debated.
“It is appropriate for the Dewan Negara to correct the error that occurred in the Dewan Rakyat when the proclamation and the ordinances were revoked by the Cabinet without going through both Houses,” the letter, signed by 16 senators, stated.
Yesterday, opposition MPs attempted to march to Parliament from Dataran Merdeka to protest against the two-week suspension of the Dewan Rakyat, but were eventually stopped by police and members of the Federal Reserve Unit.
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