Kamarul Zaman Yusoff, a senior lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), said the constitution empowered Parliament to regulate its own procedures.

Arguing in favour of virtual meetings of the houses of Parliament, he said the Federal Constitution was open to interpretation because it only stated that MPs absent from Parliament were not allowed to vote.

“We do not have to be rigid in interpreting the laws and constitution,” he said. “Presence can also mean virtual presence. If there is doubt about it then they should state it clearly in the procedures. It is not a big problem, what more when most of the MPs, including the opposition, will most probably support virtual sessions.”

Yesterday, Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the constitution and the Standing Orders of the Dewan Rakyat required MPs to be physically present to vote on bills and the annual budget.

The Dewan Rakyat meeting was curtailed yesterday, rising at 1pm instead of 5.30pm after it was revealed that several parliamentary staff members had tested positive for Covid-19.

De facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan said the sitting times will be decided daily.

Kamarul said the shorter hours would affect the effectiveness of the Dewan Rakyat.

Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii was dismayed that shorter hours may leave little time to debate many issues or for the government to clarify.

“Many of us from East Malaysia travel far and have to abide by stricter SOPs just so we can carry out our responsibility in Parliament,” he said.

He criticised the government for not having prepared to hold virtual parliamentary meetings, despite having had three months since the last meeting.

“This just shows the short-sighted nature and unpreparedness to adapt to the new norm even in Parliament,” said Yii, adding that limiting sitting time was only a “disservice to Malaysians”.

While voting had to be done physically due to legal requirements, debates could still be conducted online to limit physical contact in a confined space such as the Dewan Rakyat, he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said the threat of the virus would always be present in the Dewan, regardless of the sitting times.

“It is true that a shorter (sitting) period means less exposure, but if the virus is already in the area, it does not look at the time.”

He urged the government to “stop blaming Covid-19” and ensure all MPs strictly adhered to the SOPs when attending the Dewan Rakyat for the next six weeks.