A LEGAL challenge has been filed against the prime minister and Dewan Rakyat speaker over the limiting of the May 18 sitting to just the royal address.

The application, filed by lawyer R. Kengadharan and social activist D. Arumugam, seeks a high court declaration that the one-day sitting is unconstitutional.

Kengadharan told The Malaysian Insight that the application was filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry this morning.

He said no date has been fixed to hear the bid.

“We will find out soon when the matter will be heard. Even if the matter is heard after Monday, it will not make our application academic.

“We want a declaration that the sitting is unconstitutional.”

The duo named Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusoff as defendants, adding that the notice issued to MPs on limiting the sitting is against the federal constitution and Standing Orders.

In the affidavit, they said the move has prevented the tabling and debate of a motion of no confidence against Muhyiddin that was proposed by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“The meeting on Monday will be a ‘colourable exercise of power’ by the prime minister and his cabinet.”

They said the single-day affair does not meet the requirements of Article 55 of the constitution as no other important matters will be discussed, as required by Standing Order 14(1).

On Wednesday, then Dewan Rakyat secretary Riduan Rahmat issued a notice to MPs saying the prime minister has informed Parliament that the May 18 sitting is restricted to the royal address.

Not even government matters, such as the economic stimulus packages to mitigate the impact of Covid-19, are on the agenda, unlike the notice issued to lawmakers on April 17.

“We wish to inform you that the prime minister, as head of the Dewan Rakyat, informed the speaker on May 12 under Standing Orders 11(2) and 15(2) that the sitting on Monday is only for the royal address,” said Riduan in the letter this week.

“This is in line with the situation where the country is still recovering from the Covid-19 outbreak.

“As such, this notice is to confirm that the official opening of the Dewan Rakyat’s first meeting for 2020 will begin at 10am.”

Included in the letter is the order paper, which showed only one item: the royal address.

The letter last month said the Dewan Rakyat would continue with government business and bills after the royal address, but there would not be any question-and-answer sessions with the government.

Riduan was yesterday replaced in the post with Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin, an officer from the Prime Minister’s Department. No reason was given for the transfer.

With the change of agenda, Perikatan Nasional no longer faces the possibility of having to debate Dr Mahathir’s no-confidence motion against Muhyiddin. – May 15, 2020.