KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah will meet his fellow Rulers at a special gathering at Istana Negara today.It is understood that His Majesty will seek the views of the Rulers on the impasse in the formation of the new Federal Government.
The meeting will begin at 10.30am and it is expected to last at least three hours.
Palace sources said the special meeting would be crucial.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has been trying to put up a unity government comprising Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional but has failed so far.
The Rulers are expected to be briefed on the legal procedures as a hung Parliament has taken place.
The Conference of Rulers is also scheduled to be held on Monday.
Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara Datuk Seri Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin in a statement yesterday said the King had consented to the meeting to be held at Istana Negara.
Tight security: Police officers monitoring the situation outside Istana Negara. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star
“The Special Meeting of the Malay Rulers is for His Majesty to seek the views of the Malay Rulers for him to make a decision in the interest and for the well-being of the country and the people,” he said.
Ahmad Fadil said His Majesty also called on the people, as well as all parties, to persevere and to stay calm until the process of forming the new government is completed, Bernama reported.
“Indeed, the future of our motherland is too precious and should be planned carefully and meticulously,” he said.
Ahmad Fadil said the special meeting was called following the separate audiences granted to all Barisan Nasional (BN) and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) representatives at Istana Negara yesterday morning.
On Tuesday, the King also summoned Pakatan Harapan chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for separate audiences at the palace after the submissions made by all party and coalition leaders revealed that no Member of Parliament received the majority support to be appointed as the 10th Prime Minister.
Ahmad Fadil said the process was done in accordance with Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution.
“The people have elected their representatives. So, it is up to the representatives now to find a solution to the problem that affects the people,” he said.
The 15th General Election (GE15) on Nov 19 ended with no coalition obtaining a simple majority of 112 seats in the 222-seat Parliament to form the new government, hence the hung Parliament.
Pakatan garnered the highest number of seats with 82, followed by Perikatan (73), Barisan Nasional (30), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (23), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (six), Warisan (three), Parti Bangsa Malaysia and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat one seat each, along with two Independents.
