OPPOSITION bloc Pakatan Harapan wants the government to call for a parliamentary sitting immediately to discuss necessary steps to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. 

They want the sitting to take place earlier than the scheduled May 18. 

“The presidential council is of the view that a special parliamentary sitting concerning Covid-19 is sensible and has to be called earlier than May 18, 2020 as previously announced by the government,” the pact said in a statement signed by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng. 

The PH council said this parliamentary sitting is important to uphold the process of checks and balances, which is a cornerstone of democracy, even during the Covid-19 crisis.

The opposition pact also said in the event the government refuses to call for a special parliamentary sitting, then the May 18 parliamentary session must be held for at least two days in order to allow lawmakers to debate issues regarding the pandemic. 

“We also suggest a meeting be held between the Dewan Rakyat speaker, government representatives and PH secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in order to discuss this matter urgently,” the pact said. 

Yesterday, in a different press statement, the council raised concerns on how the government was planning to cope with job losses amid the covid-19 pandemic.

In the statement, it highlighted that while the government’s RM250 billion economic stimulus plan included various measures, they were mostly short-term and did not address how to save jobs. 

The PH government fell in February following the resignation of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the departure of MPs from Bersatu and PKR from the coalition. – April 16, 2020.