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Malaysia again postpones parliament, citing pandemic

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3 years ago

September 1, 2021

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A planned first meeting of Malaysia’s parliament under new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been postponed until mid-September due to pandemic concerns.

Ismail Sabri, who is in his second week in office, is in quarantine for two weeks after he was potentially exposed to someone with the Coronavirus.

The rescheduled session was due to run from Sept. 12, to Oct. 13, and would include two additional days of debates.

Lim Guan Eng, the leader of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), the biggest opposition faction, said the new premier, who was said to have a narrow parliamentary majority of four, should face a confidence vote once the house reconvenes.

Sabri took over in the wake of predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin quitting earlier this month ahead of a scheduled confidence vote, after at least 10 lawmakers said they would vote against him, making his defeat inevitable.

Muhyiddin was forced out in part over allegations his government failed to curb the pandemic, despite imposing restrictions that included a ban on parliament meeting that ran from January until July.

Malaysia’s Health Ministry on Tuesday reported that almost 21,000 new cases of the virus, around five times the number as when a third pandemic lockdown was imposed in May.

On Monday, the ministry reported 295 virus-related deaths.

Sabri’s quarantine forced him to skip Tuesday’s ceremonies marking Malaysian independence from Britain in 1957.

In a speech given remotely to those attending the events, the new premier told Malaysians to be “more caring,’’ which he said could help “break the COVID-19 chain.’’