FORMER chief justice Arifin Zakaria is the latest to be granted an audience by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong ahead of the Malay Rulers conference tomorrow to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic and emergency.

Arifin is the chairman of the Special Independent Emergency Committee to advise the king. Palace sources confirmed he arrived at Istana Negara at about 9.45am.

Arifin’s audience with the Agong comes after Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah met with leaders of 15 political parties from last Wednesday.

Most of the opposition leaders leaving the palace had said they had informed the king that they were opposed to the emergency and wanted Parliament to reconvene.

During his hour-long audience, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he pleaded with the king not to extend the emergency beyond August 1.

Anwar said he highlighted that any extension beyond August 1 could only bring adverse effects to the country, especially the economy that had been battered by the worsening Covid-19 pandemic.

“We gave our views that an extension of the emergency would affect the economy, especially ordinary citizens.

“There are other steps that can be taken. There isn’t a need for an emergency. So we pleaded with Tuanku not to extend it,” he told reporters after the meeting at the Istana.

However, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad proposed the formation of a National Operations Council (NOC), which he said will be able to solve many of the problems facing the nation.

“The king did not reject my proposal, but he told me to set up NOC, the proposal must come from the government.

“Of course, I don’t think the government is going to propose NOC.

“As such, at the moment I don’t think NOC is going to happen at all,” he told a press conference after the audience.

Two days later Dr Mahathir suggested the NOC be named the National Rehabilitation Council for neutrality.

He said that the council would be apolitical, come directly under the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and expire once Malaysia achieves herd immunity against Covid-19.

“Council members will consist of medical experts including experienced psychiatrists, non-partisan economists in helping the country overcome the crisis, experienced investment experts, social mobilisers who have proven ability to help the people during pandemics, non-partisan legislation figures and some political figures who did not act on behalf of the party.

“Membership will not be more than 20 members. There is no politics in the council,” he said in a blog post last Saturday. – June 15, 2021.