DEPUTY Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azalina Othman Said questioned her parliamentary colleague Mohd Rashid Hasnon on a letter from the palace, reminding him they both received copies of it.

The letter from the Palace, dated August 9, was addressed to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun to confirm the number of MPs who still supported Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister.

Rashid was yesterday quoted by The Vibes saying he was unaware of the letter.

However, in a tweet last night, Azalina said copies of the letter were sent to her and Rashid.

“Surat bertarikh 9 Ogos, 2021, salinannya kepada kita berdua, dah baca ke belum @rashidjohor? (The letter dated August 9, 2021 was copied to us both, haven’t you read it?” she said on Twitter last night.

Several reports stated that Comptroller of the Royal Household Ahmad Fadhli Shamsuddin had sent a letter on August 9 asking Azhar to confirm the support for Muhyiddin.

While claiming ignorance of the letter, Rashid also expressed surprise at the reports claiming that the king had served a letter to the speaker’s office seeking clarification on Muhyiddin’s support.

“There has not been any precedent where the Agong would directly communicate with the speaker on parliamentary affairs,” Rashid told The Vibes.

“That is why I have to ask about this report claiming as such, because how can His Majesty direct his questions to the Yang di-Pertua (speaker).

“According to procedure, when Parliament is in session, whatever happens inside the Dewan, the leader of the House (the prime minister) will report to the Agong himself, including on his majority support.”

Azalina, however, pointed out that she, Rashid and Azhar had a meeting with the king on June 29, and attached a photo from that meeting in her tweet.

“YB, didn’t we meet the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in a group on June 29?” she said.

It was reported that the king had called for meetings with the speaker and the two deputy speakers, as well as the Dewan Negara president and deputy president, on June 29.

This was followed by a statement from the palace on the same day, reiterating a call for Parliament to reconvene “as soon as possible”. – August 13, 2021.