What’s the rush, Zuraida asks on calls for early sitting

Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin today questioned calls for the special Parliament sitting in September to be brought forward amid claims by the opposition that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin no longer commands majority support in the Dewan Rakyat.

In a statement, she said there was no rush for an early sitting as the Sept 7 date was less than a month away.

“We have been well advised to follow the constitution and to that we have adhered,” she said.

She also noted that no alternative candidate for prime minister has been announced by the opposition bloc despite their insistence that Muhyiddin had lost his majority in Parliament.

“That reflects the in-fighting and disunity and bickering of the opposition bloc themselves,” she said.

Zuraida said health-director Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had directed that Parliament be placed under quarantine for two weeks after July 30 following the detection of Covid-19 cases in the vicinity.

She also noted the death of a special officer at a federal ministry who was believed to have succumbed to Covid-19 after being infected at Parliament.

“We urge everyone to let the government carry on with their mandated job, i.e. to serve the people, fight the pandemic and help the economy to recover,” she said.

“We welcome constructive ideas and suggestions, not endless disruptive booing and partisan attacks that do not help the people.”

Her call followed that of Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar who said in a statement yesterday that this was not the time for politicians to jostle for power.

“Now is the time to scramble to help the people, not scramble for power and positions,” he said.