He said Parliament is also finalising other technical requirements.

“We are prepared. The existing facilities are adequate. We are making further extensions to the facilities to implement (a hybrid sitting),” he told Bernama.

Rashid said no date has been fixed for the house to reconvene, and that it will follow the Standing Order that requires a 28-day notice before a sitting can convene.

“We leave it to the discretion of the Leader of the House for its implementation,” he said.

He said a hybrid sitting would be a new norm and if it happens it would be a historic moment for Malaysia’s legislature as the nation copes with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It also represents a new challenge for the speaker as we will be using monitors to look at MPs,” he said.

If a hybrid sitting does take place, he said, there will be several Standing Orders that require amendments, including those dealing with the voting process.

All amendments will be included as an addendum to the existing Standing Orders.

“Another example is that Parliament refers to Article 62 of the Federal Constitution, on Parliamentary Procedure. In Article 62(5), it is stated that members who do not attend a parliamentary sitting are not allowed to vote. But if we refer to 62(1), it is subject to this parliamentary provision and provisions of federal laws, that states that every parliamentary sitting needs to regulate its own protocols,” he said.

Asked how many MPs need to be present in the Dewan Rakyat if the amendments are to be passed, Rashid said the minimum number for a quorum is 26.

Previously, Parliament had set a maximum of 80 MPs for any one sitting.