Top Dewan Rakyat Agendas New Deputy Speaker Ordinances Revocation

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The Dewan Rakyat will convene for its second meeting starting tomorrow and two of the main agendas will be the election of a new Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker and the revocation of the emergency ordinances.
According to Dewan Rakyat's Order Paper, the first order of business after Question Time in the morning is the election of the new House deputy speaker followed by the debate on the revocation of the emergency ordinances.
Both motions were previously delayed due to controversies.
The election of the deputy speaker was supposed to happen during the previous meeting which ran from Sept 13 to Oct 12.
However, it was postponed after it became apparent that the government's sole nominee, Umno's Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan, who was facing a money laundering charge but was later let off with an RM1.1 million fine, would be defeated.
Bersatu had signalled that they won't vote for Ahmad, which will cause Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's government, which has the support of 114 MPs out of 220 MPs including from Bersatu, to fall short. Bersatu has 31 MPs.
Ahmad had since dropped out and Umno has nominated a new candidate, Cameron Highlands MP Ramli Mohd Nor, who if elected, will become the first Orang Asli deputy speaker. His contender from the opposition is DAP's Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming.




Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan
Long overdue
Meanwhile, the revocation of the emergency ordinances has also been long overdue, since July.
The emergency, intended for the Covid-19 pandemic, was first declared in January and expired in August.
The revocation of the emergency ordinances had marred the tail end of the Muhyiddin Yassin government as Putrajaya and Istana Negara came into conflict on how to wind down the emergency for the Covid-19 pandemic that was first proclaimed in January. 
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong had in July refused to consent to the revocation and instead wanted the matter to go through a debate in Parliament.
Muhyiddin, whose majority in the Dewan Rakyat was uncertain, had adamantly resisted any vote in the House. 
He resigned as the prime minister on Aug 16. 
His successor Ismail Sabri is now complying with the Agong's desire for the revocation of the emergency ordinances to be debated.
If the government does not alter the Order Paper, the election of the new deputy speaker will start at around noon tomorrow.
It should be a brief affair, followed by the debate on the revocation of the emergency ordinances.
The second meeting of the Dewan Rakyat sitting this year will run from Oct 25 until Dec 26, during which Budget 2022 will also be tabled. - Mkini

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