KUALA LUMPUR – The resentment of the Malays against the royal institution of late is the result of the ill-advised emergency declared by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The former prime minister said people going against the palace is unheard of in Malaysian history, as is the case currently playing out on social media.
However, he acknowledged that the monarch might not have been briefed properly by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government on the decision to proclaim the emergency on January 11.
“Everything (about the emergency) was put on the Agong’s shoulders, as though it was made in the order of His Majesty,” he said after submitting a memorandum to Istana Negara requesting an audience to discuss the lifting of the emergency.
The memorandum submission, led by the Committee for the Secession for the Emergency Proclamation, was submitted jointly by Dr Mahathir, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and committee chairman Khalid Samad to the Agong’s senior private secretary.
“The rakyat is uneasy about the emergency. The Malays don’t usually dissent against the Agong. And I have made this clear when meeting his majesty’s senior private secretary earlier.
“This is very unusual, for the Malays to go against the their own rulers. It is quite clear a large number of Malays are now angry as they are suffering because of this darurat (emergency).”
“Such is the feeling on the ground that the Malays are expressing anger towards their own king,” Dr Mahathir added.
Since last night, #DengkiKe has been the top trending hashtag on Twitter, with more than 70,000 related posts – and counting – as the rakyat takes aim at the royal family over vaccination claims, amidst the emergency.
This is the second time an application has been submitted by the committee to seek an audience with the king, with Khalid making a similar application on March 26, which did not receive any response.
Khalid said should the palace not respond again to their request for an audience, the committee will submit a fresh application in a month-and-a-half's time.
“We will bring more evidence to prove how the emergency has burdened the rakyat and the country. We are confident the Agong will agree to grant us the audience, because we are representing the people,” he said.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his government have come under heavy criticism since the emergency was proclaimed, with many claiming the move is merely a desperate attempt to remain in power.
While the Agong had on February 24 agreed to allow Parliament to reconvene during the emergency period, the government is adamant that the situation is still unsafe.
Meanwhile, both opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng were not present at the memorandum submission due to prior commitments. Anwar was attending to his responsibilities as MP at a constituency event in Port Dickson.
PKR information chief Fahmi Fadzil told The Vibes that today’s gathering was only for the delivery of the letter to the palace.
However, he added, both Anwar and Lim will be present at the palace if an audience is granted as a result of the memorandum.
Fahmi, who is Lembah Pantai MP, noted that the gathering led by Khalid and Dr Mahathir today was a follow-up to a previous delegation on March 26 aiming to seek an audience with the Agong, which has yet to see an official response.
Today’s trip, however, was organised to hand over a second letter to reiterate the request for an audience, Fahmi said.
Among others present were Pejuang’s Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and Marzuki Yahya, PKR’s Maria Chin Abdullah, Tian Chua and Sim Tze Tzin, and DAP’s Hannah Yeoh and Lim Lip Eng. – The Vibes, April 20, 2021
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