THE Yang di-Pertuan Agong has the power to call for Parliament to reconvene at any time, said Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He highlighted Section 14 of the Emergency Ordinance, which provides that Parliament can be reconvened, prorogued and dissolved at a date that is determined by the king during the emergency.

He added that Section 15 of the Emergency Ordinance says that the King can reconvene, prorogue and dissolve parliament after consultation with the Malay Rulers and heads of states.

“All these views affirm that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong can indeed convene a sitting of Parliament at any time,” Zahid said in a Facebook post.

The Bagan Datuk MP also noted that Article 55 of the federal constitution stipulates that the king can summon Parliament to be in session, and since the Emergency Ordinance on Parliament’s suspension during the emergency has superseded the constitution, the king therefore does not need to wait for advice from the prime minister.

“Since Article 55 no longer applies (during a state of emergency), therefore Article 40 stipulating that the Agong must follow the advice of the cabinet also does not apply,” he said.

“These views are in line with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree on February 24, 2021 that parliamentary sessions can be held during the emergency period.

“It is also in line with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s order a few days ago for Parliament to reconvene as soon as possible,” Zahid said, referring to the king’s decree on June 16 calling for Parliament be convened as soon as possible to debate the country’s Covid-19 response. 

The Malay rulers called for the same in a separate statement and also said the emergency should not be extended beyond August 1.

Following the statement from the king and the rulers, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Takiyuddin Hassan said the king’s decree did not specify a date or period when Parliament should be reopened. – June 19, 2021.