The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0), Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), ENGAGE and Bait al-Amanah said such an excuse was invalid.

This, they said, was because MPs were fully vaccinated now, which was not the case in the previous sitting.

They also said that Parliament personnel, including the aides to the MPs, would also be fully vaccinated before the end of the month.

“With strict SOPs, there is nothing to prevent all MPs from attending the sitting,” they said in a statement.

They went on to say that with Parliament suspended for nearly seven months, it was time to give MPs the opportunity to raise issues related to the movement restrictions and the National Recovery Plan in the Dewan.

Putrajaya, they added, should emulate the other countries that are holding parliamentary sittings and be prepared to amend laws to allow for hybrid sessions.

“The reluctance to think out of the box and prepare for a hybrid sitting will not augur well for democracy especially if a stronger Covid-19 variant prevents (normal) social distancing.”

On Sunday, Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon said Parliament was looking at limiting the July 26 sitting to 80 MPs.

He said the Dewan Rakyat committee had suggested the number and it would be discussed with party whips.

“The suggestion is the same as last year when only 80 MPs were allowed,” Utusan Online quoted him as saying.