PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak has hit out at the special meeting of the Dewan Rakyat which will be held next week, saying it would be like a classroom setting with "a teacher and students".

He said no motions and debates would be entertained at the five-day sitting from July 26-July 29 and on Aug 2, the first time no debates and motions are allowed.

Instead, MPs would only be allowed to ask questions during the ministerial briefings.

"It's like students being allowed to ask questions in class," said Najib, who is Pekan MP. "If this is the case, don't call it a sitting," he said in a Facebook posting.

Former prime minister Najib Razak says it can't be a parliamentary sitting without motions and debates. (Bernama pic)
Najib Razak.

Najib was referring to a statement by deputy speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon, who told the Perikatan Nasional backbenchers portal that MPs would be allowed to ask questions but confirmed that no debates or motions would be tabled.

Seputeh MP Teresa Kok of DAP said the government's move to turn the sitting into a briefing session was against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's advice to reconvene Parliament before Aug 1.

"It also insults the institution of Parliament," she said in a statement.

Kok said in her 21 years as a parliamentarian, MPs had always been allowed to debate, and asked whether the July 26 sitting would turn out to be a waste of time and resources.

Teresa Kok.

She noted that the special five-day sitting would include briefings on the national recovery plan, the vaccination programme, the Emergency and various stimulus packages.

"These issues need to be debated and discussed.

"The role of MPs is not just to hear briefings by ministers, especially after seven months without any meetings," she said.

FMT

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