Another pressing issue debated was the EPF withdrawals to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 

by S BIRRUNTHA / Pic by TMR FILE PIX

THE 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), health, as well as floods, were some of the pressing issues raised by MPs as the first meeting of the Fifth Session of the 14th Parliament ended last week. 

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had stressed on these issues in his royal address at the opening ceremony, and it was debated by both the government and Opposition MPs during the question and answer sessions. 

His Majesty said Malaysia’s transition from the pandemic to endemic phase of Covid-19 must be implemented carefully and urged all Malaysians to obtain the booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine as a precautionary measure against the spread of new variants. 

The King also expressed his appreciation for the current political stability, adding that the political landscape was now more stable to achieve the development agenda for the benefit of the people and the future of the country. 

Meanwhile, Al-Sultan Abdullah also touched on the issue of corruption and stressed that he viewed the matter seriously, as it was crucial for the issues to be addressed to build a nation that is transparent and with integrity. 

Following that, Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob told the Dewan Rakyat that the government is committed to preventing corruption and does not practise selective prosecution. 

He pointed out that there were many ongoing corruption cases in court, including those involving political leaders, and this showed that the government is serious in taking action against anyone involved in corruption. 

Debating on the 1MDB issue, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz refuted the claim of Former PM Datuk Seri 

Mohd Najib Razak that the government has yet to pay “a single sen” of 1MDB’s principal debt. 

The former stated that the allegation was baseless, considering the principal debt will only mature between 2022 and 2039. 

Tengku Zafrul also noted that the 1MDB’s outstanding debt comprising the principal and interest amounted to RM38.8 billion. 

Of this amount, he said 1MDB’s principal debt stood at RM32.3 billion, while another RM6.5 billion was interest payments. 

Apart from corruption and 1MDB, MPs also raised issues related to Covid-19, where they proposed to speed up the vaccination process for children as they are exposed to the transmission of the Omicron variant. 

They also demanded the government to take action against the increase in prices of PCR and RTK-Ag test kits, and urged the government to set ceiling prices to avoid burdening the people. 

Similarly, on the recent floods, MPs sought clarification on the government’s assistance and commitment to overcome the nationwide disaster. 

Another pressing issue debated was the withdrawal of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings to help the people continue to survive the impact of Covid-19. 

Meanwhile, last week’s Dewan Rakyat also saw the motion to elect a new Deputy Yang di-Pertua of the Dewan Rakyat to replace Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said scheduled on March 1 postponed once again to the second sitting. 

The postponement motion was made by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin and the motion was unanimously approved by the MPs. 

The Dewan Rakyat meeting will run for 16 days, from Feb 28 to March 24. 

To reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection in the Parliament building, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun said the existing standard operating procedures for Parliamentary sittings remain. 

Among them, MPs and staff must do the RT-PCR test three days before the sitting, while translucent barriers continued to be installed at MPs’ seats to maintain physical distance.