Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 2): Major roads leading to the Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur have been closed, while opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) were prevented from entering Dewan Rakyat.

In separate live feeds on social media, opposition MPs including Nurul Izzah Anwar, Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh and Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin said the roads to Parliament were closed despite the postponement of today's sitting.

Dewan Rakyat was ordered shut for two weeks from July 29 after Covid-19 cases were detected among attendees last week.

After being prevented from entering Parliament by police, several opposition lawmakers from PKR, DAP and Amanah instead gathered at Dataran Merdeka.

De facto opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also voiced their dissatisfaction over the blockade by the police.

Calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the opposition MPs criticised the move by the ruling government led by Muhyiddin to revoke the Emergency Ordinances despite denial by Yang di-Pertuan Agong that he had given his consent to the revocation.

The MPs then proceeded to Dataran Merdeka.

Among the opposition MPs marching to Dataran Merdeka were Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and Semporna MP Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

Using loud hailers, the MPs stressed that the government led by Muhyiddin had acted in bad faith.

Anwar said the government had disobeyed the wishes of the King as well as disregarded the public, and thus must resign.

Meanwhile, Shafie said the Dewan Rakyat Speaker had undertaken that questions about the Emergency Ordinances will be answered today.

"But Parliament is shut, using Covid-19 as an excuse.

“Legally, we have the right to be in Parliament," he said.

Yeoh, meanwhile, tweeted that the opposition MPs planned to debate the emergency proclamation and its ordinances in Dewan Rakyat but were blocked by police.

"An MP with a walking stick, [another] seven-month pregnant as well as those aged above 90 came along. This is our duty," she said.

The opposition MPs finally dispersed after a face-off with Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel in riot gear.

For more Parliament stories, click here.

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