Home minister tells why MPs were barred from Parliament on Aug 2

Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin says MPs were barred from entering the Parliament compound on Aug 2 to allow sanitation work to be carried out.

He said the action was taken after nearly 100 Covid-19 cases were reported at the Parliament building.

“It is about the government wanting to take care of the Yang Berhormat so that they can be present today,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

Hamzah said this after RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) raised the issue of MPs not being allowed to enter the Parliament compound on Aug 2 and Anwar Ibrahim (PH-Port Dickson), who is the opposition leader, asking why he was not allowed to enter his office.

On the question of the compounds issued to the MPs who had gathered to enter the area, Hamzah said the action was taken as it was as offence for them to assemble and a violation of the SOPs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Hamzah said the value of the compounds was reduced after he discussed the matter with the health minister.

When Wong Kah Woh (PH-Ipoh Timur) said that he was prevented from entering Parliament on the same day to attend a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting, Hamzah said an error had occurred.

“Since we wanted to make sure everything went well for the sanitation to be carried out, we issued instructions not to allow anyone to enter,” he added.

Earlier, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun, who chaired the Parliament session, said Parliament was not closed then and that he had instructed the dewan secretary to allow all MPs to enter.

“However, on the road closure, it is under the action of the police and why they closed the road, I had no knowledge of it,” he added.