Malaysian MPs set to grill Muhyiddin Yassin as parliament sits for first time this year

The five-day sitting will see Malaysia’s emergency declaration and bills on fake news and penalties for breaching Covid-19 protocols finally scrutinised

PM Muhyiddin Yassin is in a slightly more stable position after his cabinet, which includes Umno MPs, pledged to continue backing him

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Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will face parliament for the first time this year on Monday. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:00am, 26 Jul 2021Updated: 8:00am, 26 Jul 2021

Malaysia’s parliament will sit for the first time this year on Monday, providing lawmakers an opportunity to grill Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin over his government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economy.

The five-day sitting will see Malaysia’s emergency declaration and bills on fake news and penalties for breaching Covid-19 protocols finally laid before the house for legislators to scrutinise.

The emergency, set to end on August 1, handed the embattled premier wide-ranging powers to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, including closing parliament and introducing ordinances without legislative approval.

Despite Muhyiddin’s actions, daily coronavirus cases have more than tripled since the emergency was first imposed on January 12. Confirmed cases have increased nearly seven-fold, and are close to breaching the 1 million mark as public anger intensifies. Much of the country remains under lockdown.

“The best way for Muhyiddin to save himself is to embrace multi-partisan governance,” said Wong Chin Huat, a professor of political science at the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University in Malaysia. Otherwise, the king’s speech in parliament in September and the tabling of the 2022 Budget later this year could leave him vulnerable, said Wong. Both will be put to a vote and their defeat is equivalent to a vote of no confidence, he added.

Still, Muhyiddin is set to face colleagues from a slightly more stable position than a month ago. One major threat – the powerful United Malays National Organisation’s call for him to quit – was diffused when his cabinet, which includes Umno members, pledged to continue backing him. Umno MPs have also been given the party’s blessings to vote according to their conscience.