Johor State Assembly sitting adjourned until Aug 22

ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Johor State Assembly sitting which began today was adjourned until next Sunday (Aug 22) to make way for COVID-19 risk assessment.

Speaker Suhaizan Kaiat said the adjournment was also to enable the State Assembly management to increase the level of safety for everyone involved against the spread of the coronavirus.

"As advised by His Majesty based on the risk assessment done by the State Health Department, and to enable the State Assembly management to increase safety level and ensure compliance with the standard operating procedures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

"...under Standing Order 7 (3) of the Johor State Assembly, I hereby adjourn the meeting until 9.30 am Sunday, Aug 22, 2021. InsyaAllah."

He said after the opening speech by the Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar on the first day of the fourth meeting of the 14th State Assembly at Sultan Ismail Building, Kota Iskandar, near here.

At a press conference later, Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the Speaker and the State Health Department were in the midst of fine-tuning the standard operating procedures (SOP) for the sitting.

He said the one-week adjournment was necessary as there was a need to increase SOP compliance and safety, including by installing transparent dividers, fixing the suitable number of attendees in the hall as well as the procedures before and during the sitting.

"We will also create a movement bubble for the assemblymen to ensure that they are safe from any possible risk, including being in close contact with anybody.

"We don't want what happened in Parliament to happen here. The (Parliament) sitting had to be stopped halfway after positive cases were detected among the MPs," he said.

Hasni also confirmed that all 56 assemblymen present today could continue attending the sitting as physical distancing was possible due to the large capacity of the hall, hence no need for a hybrid session.

He said the fine-tuned SOP and the time for the sitting would be announced two or three days before it resumes.

The sitting was initially scheduled to resume on Aug 15.

-- BERNAMA