On the 24th of February, the Palace clarified that (quote) “Parliament may convene during the Emergency period on a date considered appropriate by the Ruler, based on the advice of the Prime Minister.” Since then, however, Parliament has remained shuttered, despite on-going calls to have it reconvene to carry out its constitutionally-mandated legislative, representational, and oversight functions. Will a functioning Parliament help with the effective management of the Covid-19 crisis? And what obstacles are in its way? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Datuk Azhar Harun, Speaker, Dewan Rakyat.