Police blocked Opposition lawmakers from marching on Monday to protest a two-week lockdown of Malaysia’s Parliament, which they consider another ploy for the embattled prime minister to dodge a no-confidence vote.
With a crucial parliamentary session due, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin instead postponed it and Parliament will be shut for two weeks. The Health Ministry said Parliament was deemed a high-risk venue because four of 11 COVID-19 cases detected among staff and others were suspected to be the fast-spreading delta variant.
Lawmakers and activists questioned the timing of the announcement of Parliament’s closure, which came after the King rebuked Mr. Muhyiddin’s government on Thursday for misleading Parliament on the status of ordinances it issued during the seven-month coronavirus state of emergency. The opposition immediately filed a motion of no-confidence against Mr. Muhyiddin that was expected to have been raised Monday.
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Dozens of lawmakers gathered near Parliament held a banner calling for the resignation of Mr. Muhyiddin and his Cabinet.
Mr. Muhyiddin has led an unstable, unelected alliance since March 2020 after he initiated the downfall of the reformist government that won the 2018 elections. Parliament has been shut down for several months just after he took office.