THE Dewan Rakyat meeting, which starts today, will take place amid fascinating times, to say the least.

       With the Johor election in the backdrop, the polls will likely shape the atmosphere inside the august hall.

       “While the issues raised during the campaigning in Johor may be localised, there will be some opposition MPs who may use the Dewan Rakyat as a ‘campaigning tool’ for the state election,” Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of University Sains Malaysia said.

       He added that this could be done to deny the government getting the upper hand in the tabling of laws on anti-hopping, and limiting the tenure of the prime minister’s post.

       These proposed laws would look good for the government for having fulfilled its promises on reforms, he said, adding that some MPs would thus want to “destablise” this.

       In September last year, the government and Pakatan Harapan leaders signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on bipartisan cooperation to bring reforms and political stability to the nation.

       However, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently threatened to withdraw support of the MOU if the party-hopping law is not passed in the March meeting.

       De facto law minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has since given his assurance that the government is committed towards tabling the relevant Bills at this meeting.

       Sivamurugan, when contacted, said that the result of the Johor polls on March 12 could also have a bearing on the mood in the Dewan Rakyat.

       “All eyes will be on Bersatu (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia) to see how they fare in the polls. This is particularly so for Barisan Nasional which aims to wipe Bersatu out.

       “If this happens, then you may see some MPs calling for a general election to be held,” he said.

       Barisan is not part of the MOU but it had previously given its assurance not to push for an early general election in view of the pandemic.

       Dr Oh Ei Sun, adjunct senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said it was almost inevitable that the august hall would become a battleground for the Johor polls.

       “Some MPs are likely to posture grandiosely in their speeches and acts to draw attention to their own party,” he said.

       He also pointed out that it remained to be seen whether the government would retable amendments to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act.

       The Bill was initially tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in mid-December last year but was withdrawn by the government following a public outcry over the excessive punishment proposed for those flouting Covid-19 SOP.

       “So if it is retabled, it would have to take into account pandemic developments such as the move towards ‘living with Covid-19’ for it to stand a chance of being passed,” Oh said.

       The March meeting will also see the appointment of a second Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker.

       The post became available in August last year following the resignation of Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, who is Pengerang MP.

       Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, who is one of the two deputy speakers, said the process of selecting the new deputy speaker had been included in the Order Paper.

       There is likely to be a contest for the post as DAP has recommended Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming while Umno has forwarded Cameron Highlands MP Datuk Ramli Mohd Noor’s name.

       To minimise the risk of Covid-19 contagion in Parliament, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun said the SOP for parliamentary sittings would remain as before.

       He said MPs and staff were required to undergo the Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test three days before attending a sitting.

       A two-day screening from Feb 24 in the Parliament building found 46 positive cases among 1,474 staffers, media representatives and MPs.

       Azhar was quoted by Bernama as saying that 183 MPs did not take the test carried out at the Parliament building, but underwent self-screening and would have to submit their results to the Dewan.

       Unlike previous meetings where the number of MPs in the House was limited to 80, he said there was no limit for this meeting.

       However, he said MPs were advised to take turns being present in the House.

       Other SOP still in place include the installation of transparent barriers between the seats of MPs to ensure physical distancing.

       A new session of the Dewan Rakyat will begin today with the opening address by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

       This will be a 16-day meeting, scheduled to end on March 24.