THE Perikatan Nasional government must convene parliament in 14 days and failure to do so is an insult to the monarchy, said Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the government must respect the orders of the king and the Conference of Rulers to call for parliament as soon as possible.

“As such, the government shouldn’t attempt to delay holding a parliament session by re-interpreting what the royal personages said last week.

“In the end, the Agong and the Conference of Rulers have agreed on the same issue,” Zahid said in a statement this morning following Umno’s political bureau meeting last night.

The Agong, after meeting political leaders and the rulers last week, had decreed that parliament must convene as soon as possible.

The government appears reluctant to obey, with de facto law and parliamentary affairs minister Takiyuddin Hassan saying the royal statement did not specify when the house should sit.

The Conference of Rulers issued a similar statement which also stated there was no need to extend the state of emergency when it ended on August 1.

Parliamentary sittings, state legislative assemblies and elections are suspended under the emergency, prompting criticism of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for avoiding checks and balances.

In February, the king had decreed that parliament should meet even during a state of emergency.

The emergency enforced on January 11 to effectively fight the pandemic is to end on August 1. – June 21, 2021.