Parliament reconvenes with new prime minister today

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri speaking to reporters in a photo dated Aug. 14, 2020. Photo: Bernama
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri speaking to reporters in a photo dated Aug. 14, 2020. Photo: Bernama

Parliament reconvenes today with Malaysia’s newest Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Today’s session will also be attended by three former prime ministers, Najib Razak, Mahathir Mohamad, and Muhyiddin Yassin, who became Malaysia’s shortest-serving premier when he resigned last month. The latest sitting will go on until Oct. 12 and mainly focus on the country’s COVID-19 recovery. 

The king, Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin, today warned lawmakers to behave themselves in a statement highlighting concerns about the impact of the pandemic, including loss of income.  

“I received hundreds of letters from the rakyat, sharing their grief with a thousand hopes that they can achieve change to continue their normal lives,” the statement said. 

“My advice to all members of the house: don’t ever gamble the country’s future to achieve your own agendas,” it added. 

A total of 17 million people have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in Malaysia, which has slowly begun taking steps to progressively reopen the country. Only Labuan is in stage four of the national recovery plan and is the closest to a full reopening.

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