KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — The Dewan Rakyat secretary has encouraged all Members of Parliament to remain in Kuala Lumpur throughout the Dewan Rakyat meeting from November 2 to December 15 to minimise Covid-19 transmission risks.
Members of the Lower House of Parliament, numbering 222, typically return to their constituencies during the weekend in a Dewan Rakyat meeting, as daily sittings are usually held Mondays to Thursdays. The upcoming Dewan Rakyat meeting is 27 days’ long.
“For Your Honourable’s information, all claims for the cost of accommodation and daily allowance throughout the Dewan Rakyat meeting can be made to the Malaysian Parliament, subject to the Statute Paper 235, 1983,” Dewan Rakyat secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin said in a letter to MPs yesterday.
The federal Budget 2021 is scheduled to be tabled on November 6.
Malaysia is currently experiencing the third wave of Covid-19, recording daily infections above 250 since October 1, with cases distributed across the country.
The Dewan Rakyat secretary also said MPs must undergo an RT-PCR test for Covid-19 three days before the start of the Dewan Rakyat meeting on November 2, or three days before they turn up in Parliament. Testing is provided at the Parliament building on October 30 from 9am to 5pm.
“Your Honourable is very much encouraged to get tested at the Malaysian Parliament.”
MPs can also choose to get tested at a nearby government clinic or hospital. They must bear the cost of testing if they choose to get tested at a private facility.
“If Your Honourable fails to get tested or if you test positive for Covid-19, Your Honourable will be asked not to attend the third meeting of the third session of the 14th Parliament of the Dewan Rakyat.”
The Dewan Rakyat secretary has previously instructed MPs from Sabah — the epicentre of coronavirus in Malaysia — to undergo testing and 14-day quarantine in Kuala Lumpur before the November 2 Dewan Rakyat meeting.
“As for Your Honourable from other states and Your Honourable from Sabah who were already outside Sabah before state border movement restrictions were implemented, you only need to get tested for Covid-19 and do not need to be quarantined.”
