KUALA LUMPUR – The Yang di-Pertuan Agong expressed his wishes to Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for a strong, formidable, and inclusive government.
“We were summoned by the king and I expressed my profound gratitude for the opportunity given,” Anwar told reporters outside Istana Negara.
“His Majesty began by expressing his desire to form a strong formidable government that is inclusive, allowing it to focus on resolving the rakyat’s problems and resuscitating the economy.
“I expressed gratitude to His Majesty, I said we’ll do our best and digest the advice and wait for the final decision... which is of course, at the discretion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” said the newly elected Tambun MP.
Anwar thanked Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah for granting him the “opportunity given” .
By convention, the leader of the party with the most number of seats in Parliament will be invited to form a government.
In the recently concluded general election, PH garnered the most seats at 82, followed by Perikatan Nasional (PN) with 73.
PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was also summoned to the palace but was met separately by the king.
When asked if he is the 10th prime minister, the PH hopeful jokingly told the media that there is still a vacancy and that they are accepting applications.
Furthermore, he believed that given time, PH could secure a simple majority, although at the moment there were no questions about forming a minority government.
Muhyiddin, meanwhile, who was first to meet the king, had left the palace earlier.
The Pagoh MP did not meet with the press and simply drove off after the meeting.
Anwar on the other hand, appeared very jovial when he addressed and spoke to the media. – The Vibes, November 22, 2022
