He was referring to a statement from Istana Negara earlier today in which the King, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, said that he wanted Parliament to reconvene as soon as possible.

“The King did not specify which month the sitting should be held. He only said as soon as possible ,” Takiyuddin said in an interview with Harakah Daily.

“The prime minister has already said it will only reconvene in September or October,” he added, referring to the announcement made by Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday.

In a statement, Comptroller of the Royal Household Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said the King was aware of Parliament’s important role in discussing issues involving Covid-19.

Fadil said the King took this stand after being briefed by the special emergency committee and experts, adding that Parliament sittings would allow for the emergency ordinances and national recovery plan to be debated by MPs.

The statement came after a special meeting with the Malay Rulers today, chaired by Sultan Abdullah.

Takiyuddin also called for MPs to heed the King’s request to focus on Covid-19 related issues once Parliament reconvenes.

“Let us not discuss other matters at the sitting. The King wants us to focus on Covid-19.”

He went to say that the government had considered a virtual sitting – details of which are still being studied – prior to the King’s announcement due to the pandemic.

According to Takiyuddin, there were risks in conducting a physical parliamentary sitting.

“If the King wants us to hold a Parliamentary sitting we will, although we are still facing a pandemic,” he said, adding that a normal sitting involves at least 1,000 individuals, including MPs and their aides.

We are live on Telegram, subscribe here for breaking news and the latest announcements.