Opposition MPs Stage A Protest March To Parliament After Being Denied Entry To The House
This comes after the Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday, 1 August, that the Parliament sitting will be postponed for a period of two weeks.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 02 Aug 2021, 12:04 PM
Over a dozen Opposition members of Parliament (MPs) gathered at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur after they were denied entry to the Parliament building this morning, 2 August
According to Malaysiakini, the main road leading to the Parliament building located in Taman Duta was cordoned off by police officers, Black Marias, and Light Strike Force officers.
The news portal noted the presence of Black Marias can be seen as an indication to prepare for arrests.
The Special Parliament sitting was supposed to convene today after being postponed last Thursday, 29 July.
However, yesterday, 1 August, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah announced that the sitting would be further postponed "for the time being for a period of two weeks", reported Malay Mail.
The country's top doctor cited the COVID-19 outbreak in the august House for the postponement, adding that 11 suspected cases have been detected since the Parliament sitting began last Monday, 26 July.
At about 10.25am today, opposition MPs at Dataran Merdeka began marching to the Parliament building
According to Google Maps, a walk from Dataran Merdeka to the Parliament building is about 2km and will take about 25 minutes to arrive.
Malaysiakini reported earlier that several party leaders — such as PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, MUDA founder Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, and Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, among others — were present at Dataran Merdeka.
A few of them gave speeches at the iconic landmark, including Lim who called for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's resignation.
A journalist from The Vibes tweeted that about 40 opposition MPs were seen at Dataran Merdeka.
At the time of writing, several MPs arrived near the Parliament building. They were heard chanting "Long live the King" and "Muhyiddin step down".
A line of Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) officers formed a human barrier, blocking the MPs from advancing forward.
"Everyone, disperse. We will not allow anyone to pass," said an officer from the top of a truck.
The Star reported that Anwar tried to negotiate with the police. The Opposition leader later made a short speech before the group dispersed peacefully.
Anwar said 107 MPs have made their point in the march today, according to Free Malaysia Today.
Meanwhile, it was reported yesterday that 30 Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs have signed a declaration letter to support Muhyiddin to remain as the premier
In an exclusive report by Sinar Harian, it is learnt that a secret meeting was held at Wisma Perwira at 9pm yesterday.
Sources said the meeting was chaired by Barisan Nasional Backbenchers' Club (BNBBC) chairman Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim.
"The meeting started with a dinner before the 30 BN MPs who were there agreed to sign a declaration letter to defend Muhyiddin and the Perikatan government," the source told Sinar Harian last night.
"The meeting was also chaired by Arau MP (Shahidan) with Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob giving an opening speech."
"The remaining 10 BN MPs who had previously declared their support could not attend as the meeting's notice was only given to them at the last minute."
"But, all of them have pledged to sign the declaration letter through a representative."
Additionally, the DPM insisted last Thursday that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government still commands majority support in the Dewan Rakyat, despite his party (UMNO) president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi declaring on 8 July that his party had withdrawn support for Muhyiddin with immediate effect.
The Edge Markets reported Ismail as saying that the government commands support from over 110 MPs out of the 220 sitting MPs.
