SEREMBAN: Negri Sembilan Ruler Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir has given his consent for the state legislative assembly to meet in early August, says Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.

       The Mentri Besar said the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan gave his consent during an audience on Tuesday.

       “God willing, we shall hold our session in the first week of August.

       “The session will be opened by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar,” he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting at Wisma Negri.

       Aminuddin said notices and gazettes would be sent out to all assemblymen soon to ensure that the sessions proceeded smoothly.

       On whether the state assembly would be a hybrid session, he said all assemblymen would be required to be physically present.

       “It will be a face-to-face session,” the Mentri Besar added.

       On June 17, Speaker Datuk Zulkefly Mohamad Omar said the state government would heed the advice of the King and the Malay Rulers and reconvene the legislative assembly, which last met in December, soonest.

       This was important to allow assemblymen to discuss and debate issues, particularly efforts taken by the state administration to prevent the spread of Covid-19, he said.

       Equally important was for all assemblymen to know how public funds had been spent in recent months, he added.

       Zulkefly said the reopening of the legislative assembly was also important as assemblymen would be able to ask questions about the Covid-19 immunisation plan in the state, where the number of cases had surged in recent days.

       On a separate matter, Aminuddin appealed to parents to ensure that their children kept up with online school lessons.

       “I have been told that there had been situations where only one or two students out of 30 in a class attended these lessons.

       “This is really worrying as our children will be left behind,” he added.

       He also appealed to the telcos to improve Internet connectivity as some areas had been experiencing poor reception.

       “Some areas in Seremban, which is a city, have also been experiencing poor connectivity.

       “On our part, we have agreed to expedite approvals for more towers and hope that the telcos and federal authorities will help speed things up,” he added.