UMNO upped the ante on its ally Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) today and called for the Government to reconvene the Parliament within 14 days.
“My party always upholds the royal institution and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has made it clear that the Parliament must be reconvened soon to address the pandemic situation and ensure accountability on the administration’s conduct.
“The monarch’s statement is similar to our previous calls. So, there is no need to waste time trying to find different interpretations to the word ‘segera’ and ‘secepat mungkin’ as uttered by His Majesty.
“Have some respect for the Agong and Malay Rulers. Reconvene the Parliament within 14 days of this statement,” its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in a statement.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Mahiaddin Yassin is under pressure from various quarters to reconvene the Parliament soon to deliberate pressing matters affecting the country, especially the pandemic situation.
However, the Pagoh MP and his supporters had refused to entertain the request, saying it would put MPs in danger of contracting COVID-19 despite all of them being fully vaccinated.
Last week, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers have decreed the Government to reconvene the Parliament as soon as possible, adding the Emergency need not be extended beyond the Aug 1 deadline.
In a surprise move, Pahang Bersatu chief Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah issued a statement yesterday to support Mahiaddin’s leadership, triggering speculation that all is not well in Putrajaya.
Elaborating, Zahid said that failure to adhere to Istana Negara’s decree is nothing short of undermining the royal institution, on top of being disrespectful to the Malay Rulers’ constitutional role.
“As a party which upholds our constitutional monarchy, as stipulated under Paragraph 3 of Umno’s constitution, I will be calling for a special meeting with the party’s top leadership to decide on our next course of action,” the Bagan Datuk MP remarked.
