THE budget sitting of the Sarawak legislative assembly, which starts next Monday, has been shortened by five days.

The assembly was initially slated to sit from November 9-18 but will now end on November 13.

Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg cited the rising cases of Covid-19 in the state as the reason to shorten the time of the meeting.

Yesterday, the number of new cases reported in the state was nine, with eight of the cases detected in Kuching.

The total number of people being treated for the infection at the Sarawak general hospital in Kuching, Sibu, Miri and Bintulu hospitals is 140.

Speaker Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar, who announced the shortened session  this afternoon, said in the notification he received earlier today, also referred to the advice of director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah to hold shorter legislative sessions to minimise the Covid-19 risk.

“In tandem with this advice, the chief minister has judiciously abided by this guideline in the interest of Sarawak as a whole and to the health of the honourable members, members of the cabinet, members of the bureaucracy and all those involved in the sittings of the Dewan Undangan Negeri,” Asfia said.

He also said the assembly has taken measures and steps to minimise the risk of the pandemic from spreading in the building.

Among the measures taken, every member of the state cabinet and all those who enter the assembly chambers, including Asfia himself, must be screened for Covid-19, he said.

He said the swab test would be done tomorrow and Saturday.

The assembly building will also be disinfected and sanitised a day before the sitting and a day after the sitting.

In the chambers, the rule of physical and social distancing will be strictly applied, Asfia added.

There will be transparent barriers among and in between the lawmakers.

Asfia said although the meeting is shortened, the assembly will still fully comply with the Standing Orders to ascertain that the Order of the Day is strictly observed.

“It will not be a debateless budget meeting,” he said.

There will still be debates on the budget, the supply bill and other matters.

The budget will be tabled by Abang Johari, who is also the state’s finance minister, on Monday and the debates will start on Wednesday. – November 5, 2020.