pic by BERNAMA

DEWAN Rakyat sitting was adjourned for the third time today after two positive Covid-19 cases were detected among Parliament staff who were on duty between July 26 and July 29.

Deputy Dewan Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon said all MPs and Parliament staff are required to do Covid-19 testing and are not allowed to leave the building until all results came back.

“Two cases of Covid-19 were found among Parliament staff and on Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah’s advice, all attendees of today’s sitting, including the staff are required to do Covid-19 tests.

“The sitting will resume at 5:15pm to allow for the testing in accordance with Meeting Rule 12 (2),” he said.

The sitting had already been postponed earlier by Deputy Dewan Speaker Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said following the statement issued by Istana Negara this afternoon.

The lower house burst into chaos before it went into early recess today as Port Dickson MP Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim read the statement from Istana Negara, confirming that the federal government did not get the King’s consent to revoke all six Emergency Ordinances (EOs) during the cabinet meeting on July 21.

According to the palace, Anwar read, the King had met with Law Minister Datuk Seri Takiyudin Hassan and Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun in a virtual meeting on July 24 and agreed for all the proposals to rescind the EOs to be tabled and debated in the Parliament.