KUALA LUMPUR – Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will have an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah at 10am on Friday.
This comes after the king today met Prime Minister and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and three Pakatan Harapan leaders.
“Datuk Zahid has an audience on Friday, 10am,” a party source told The Vibes.
Muhyiddin was the first to meet the Agong this morning, prior to a cabinet meeting.
Opposition leader and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s audience took place about 11am, during which he asked the Agong not to extend the state of emergency beyond August 1 as it has been very hard on the people, particularly the poor.
“It is only causing losses for the country,” he told the press at Gate 2 of Istana Negara.
“We plead for His Majesty to avoid extending the emergency as much as possible.”
Anwar’s coalition partners, namely DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, met the king about 2pm and 3pm, respectively. They, too, raised issues pertaining to the economic hardship faced by the rakyat.
“Tuanku is our hope because there is no Parliament sitting, so there is no room for the people to air their problems,” said Lim.
Mohamad requested that Parliament be allowed to reconvene, after sittings were shelved by the Perikatan Nasional administration using emergency laws.
He said the people’s problems amid the health crisis have reached a serious level and must not be taken lightly.
“I asked for Parliament to be reopened, as done in the UK,” he told journalists before leaving Istana Negara about 4pm.
“In the middle of a worsening pandemic, Parliament sittings are frequently held (in the UK) because the people want to know about the government’s programmes to overcome Covid-19.
“It’s not like here, where the Covid-19 situation has worsened, but Parliament is closed.”
Sultan Abdullah is expected to meet Pejuang chief and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad tomorrow.
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, too, has been granted an audience, but the party’s secretary-general, Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, did not disclose the time and date.
The Agong will speak online with presidents of Gabungan Parti Sarawak parties – Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu’s Datuk Abang Johari Openg, Parti Rakyat Sarawak’s Tan Sri James Masing, Sarawak United Peoples’ Party’s Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian and Progressive Democratic Party’s Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing – on Monday. – The Vibes, June 9, 2021
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