Malaysia's Parliament, which started sitting yesterday ahead of a crucial federal budget, was adjourned after only three hours, following concerns over risk of exposure to the coronavirus.
It is likely to shorten its daily sitting for the rest of the week, except on Friday, when the budget is tabled. The timings for the rest of the sitting will be decided later.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Takiyuddin Hassan moved to shorten yesterday's session after revealing that a staff member of the Senate, which shares a building with the MPs, had contracted Covid-19.
"There is also a chance of exposure to a particular Senate member, and also the family, because this staff worked very closely with the member of the Senate," Datuk Takiyuddin told Parliament in moving the motion.
The infected staff member is the younger sister of Senator Ras Adiba Radzi, who confirmed the news in a statement later in the day.
Mr Takiyuddin, who is in charge of parliamentary affairs, assured opposition MPs that the shortened hours are likely to apply only to the rest of this week, except on Friday, when the federal budget is tabled, and will not affect the time allocated for MPs to debate and discuss the budget next week.
Parliament normally sits between 10am and 5.30pm.
Mr Takiyuddin also said that the shortened hours for the week were agreed upon by the parliamentary Whips of every party during a crucial meeting yesterday morning, minutes after Parliament started sitting.
"It is the advice of the Health Ministry that the risk of transmission is very high for us. Several decisions were taken during the meeting, and I will allow the respective Whips to explain them to the party MPs," Mr Takiyuddin said.
The motion was passed by a voice vote supervised by House Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun at around noon.
MPs from the Democratic Action Party (DAP) requested that the government find alternative ways to ensure that the budget debates and the space given to MPs to discuss Bills are not restricted.
DAP MP Teo Nie Ching asked that the sitting be extended by another week to make up for any lost time due to shortened hours.
Another lawmaker from the DAP, Mr Kulasegaran Murugeson, urged Parliament to conduct a virtual sitting instead.
The Malaysian Parliament is scheduled to sit for 26 days between yesterday and Dec 15, during which Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will present the first federal budget under his premiership.
It is expected to be a "unity budget", with confidence and supply arrangements being negotiated with opposition parties, following calls by the Malaysian King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, for MPs to come together and ensure the budget's passage.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin holds a razor-thin two-seat majority in Parliament, and broader support from MPs would ensure a much smoother passage for the Bill.
Aside from the budget, the Lower House is also due to discuss several government Bills - such as amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Act to increase penalties for employers that fail to ensure the safety, health and welfare of employees.
There are also 27 motions by different lawmakers moving for confidence or no-confidence votes on the leadership of Mr Muhyiddin.
However, these motions are unlikely to be read or debated in Parliament, as the government Bills and the budget will be prioritised throughout the sitting period.
