KUALA LUMPUR: Umno today said it is only proper that the Dewan Rakyat sitting be postponed.
Its secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa said when Pakatan Harapan formed the government in 2018 after the 14th General Election, the lower house of Parliament only met two months after the federal government was formed.
In a Twitter post today, he said the new federal government required some time to sort out many issues before the Dewan Rakyat could convene.
"It involves the formation of the Cabinet, nomination for a Speaker, questions from the MPs and responses from the government," he said.
"There should be a postponement but not because of Covid-19," he said.
The Ketereh MP was responding to Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof's remarks on Thursday where he said that there were no plans to delay the Parliament sitting amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
This was after two MPs came in close contact with a confirmed Covid-19 patient. Both MPs were yesterday tested negative.
Under the Federal Constitution, the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong must convene the Parliament sitting not more than six months from the last day of the previous sitting.
The last meeting of the lower house of Parliament was the Budget sitting last October.
The Dewan Rakyat was slated to have its first meeting between March 9 and April 16.
Article 55(1) of the federal constitution states: "The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong shall from time to time summon Parliament and shall not allow six months to elapse between the last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first meeting in the next session."
However, the constitution is silent on the consequence if more than six months is allowed to elapse.
The first meeting of the Parliament is up in the air following the change in government.
On Monday, Ariff said he was still waiting for a response from the executive on the Parliament meeting.