THE Dewan Rakyat will sit for 69 days this year, a reduction from last year’s 74 days, and the first sitting for the year would take place from Feb 26 to March 27.
FMT reported that according to a letter from Dewan Rakyat secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin to MPs, the second sitting will be from June 24 to July 18 while the third sitting will be from Oct 7 to Dec 5.
“It has been finalised that the sitting (for 2024) will be for 69 days, which is five days fewer than last year,” a Parliament officer reportedly told the news portal.
While he was unable to provide any reason behind the reduction in days, he acknowledged that some MPs “might make noise” about it as “fewer days means less allowance”.
In addition to their monthly salary of RM16,000, MPs are eligible to receive RM400 a day for attending Parliament and RM300 a day for official meetings, workshops, briefings, and seminars.
They also receive a fixed monthly travelling allowance of RM1,500 and a phone allowance of RM900.
The number of days that Parliament sits each year is at the prime minister’s discretion.
Meanwhile, another Parliament officer pointed out that despite the reduction to the number of days in terms of Parliament sitting, there might be some changes to the calendar as the year progressed.
“You can’t predict the exact number of days throughout the year because there might be calls for a special sitting. So for now, it’s 69 days… but there might be an increase later on,” he said. – Jan 3, 2024
