KUALA LUMPUR – The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, will consult with his brother rulers before acceding to the Government’s request to declare an emergency.
Sources say Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin left Istana Abdulaziz in Kuantan disappointed, after hopes of declaring an emergency tonight were dashed when the King said His Majesty needed more time to discuss with the Council of Rulers.
Muhyiddin, who had called for a special cabinet meeting in Putrajaya this morning, flew to Kuantan to meet the King and present the Government’s request for a national emergency in an effort to stem the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He left the palace at around 7pm after a two-hour meeting with the King.
Muhyiddin was joined by among others, the Chief of Defence Force General Tan Sri Affendi Buang and several Pahang officials.
His Majesty, according to sources said he will study the request and consult the other Sultans, as declaring an emergency will be an unprecedented peace time decision.
“How it will be implemented and what would the impact to the economy be was among His Majesty’s concerns,” said a source.
Hence, in the meantime, despite the fuss over the emergency declaration today, Putrajaya will not be able to make any announcement until the Council of Rulers convenes to discuss this matter.
Another issue is how the council will meet, due to the risk of infections during the pandemic, or if the King will merely speak to each of the eight Sultans individually via teleconferencing. – The Vibes, October 23, 2020
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