He said there was no provision for such a committee under the Federal Constitution, with Article 55 stating that the King must call for Parliament based on the prime minister’s advice, not more than six months from the last sitting.

Meanwhile, Article 14 of the Emergency Ordinance gives the King the power to call for Parliament sittings until the emergency ends on Aug 1, said Ng, who is also a lawyer.

“The legal status or necessity of the committee is feared to be invalid because there is no provision for such a committee under the Federal Constitution,” he said in a statement today.

Ng added that the emergency ordinance nullifies the condition for Parliament to reconvene no later than six months from the last sitting, which meant that it can sit as soon as the emergency ends in August.

“Since the last Parliament sitting was on Dec 17, the next sitting needs to be held once the emergency ends on Aug 1 to avoid a constitutional crisis.”

He added that Parliament sittings were needed for the government to present its plans for the country amid the pandemic, and for MPs to debate on the right policies for the nation’s benefit.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said a committee had been formed comprising government and opposition representatives and that it would consider whether Parliament would reconvene in a physical or hybrid setting.

He said the government needed to scrutinise all matters to avoid problems after its implementation, adding that he had been advised by the attorney-general that Putrajaya’s actions must be in line with the Constitution.