ANWAR Ibrahim said that he had been visiting Malay rulers to debunk the notion that the new Pakatan Harapan government did not respect the royal institution.
The de facto PKR leader said he assured the sultans during these courtesy calls that the ruling coalition was not under the thumb of Chinese-majority DAP that was part of the coalition.
In the run-up to GE14, Umno used DAP as a bogeyman and attempted to discourage Malay voters from supporting PH, saying that the coalition headed by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was actually controlled by Lim Kit Siang and his comrades.
“I told them not to worry because the government was not under DAP, and there were no attempts to eliminate the power of the rulers,” Anwar said in his speech at a Malaysian Muslim Youth Association (Abim) event last night.
“The constitutional monarch will not lose power. I explained all this to them,” said Anwar, relating what transpired in the meetings that sparked various rumours about his political ambitions.
“My intention when I met them was clear, that is, to help explain the PH government’s policies to the rulers,” said Anwar at the Abim headquarters in Sungai Ramal, Kajang.
The meetings prompted rumours that he was undermining Dr Mahathir by forging a pact with the rulers, who share a testy relationship with the prime minister.
“I would like to stress that there were no such discussion with the rulers.”
The meetings were all at the invitation of the royal houses, Anwar said.
The first meeting he had was with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V, on May 13.
Anwar was asked to meet the sultan at 10.50am before the Pardon Council Meeting started at 11am to discuss his royal pardon.
“The meeting was supposed to start at 11am, but at 10.50am I received an order to meet the sultan. I was still in the hospital at the time.”
After his release, Anwar said he received an invitation to meet the sultan of Johor.
In the two-hour session with the Johor sultan, Anwar, who was accompanied by his daughter, Nurul Izzah, discussed various issues.
“First, we discussed the status of the constitutional monarch and if there were plans to eliminate it. I stressed that all the parties under PH had agreed that they would defend the status of the constitutional monarch.
“The second thing he asked was why I supported Dr Mahathir. I said he had done a lot and had contributed at a time while I was in prison and could not contest.
“The transition of power was also done in a peaceful manner. We have to convince the people that we are united, to enable Dr Mahathir and the cabinet to make tough and firm decisions.
“Like the investigation against former prime minister Najib Razak. It was not easy. He has lots of funds, and he still holds sway among some in government and security officers.”
After meeting the sultan of Johor, Anwar said he went on to meet the sultans of Pahang, Perak, and most recently, Selangor.
“The meeting with the sultan of Selangor was good and I was happy with the meeting.
“I said we would ensure that the status of Islam (as official religion of the country) and Bahasa Malaysia (as the national language) would remain, and I would assist the government, led by Dr Mahathir, with this.” – June 3, 2018.
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Comments
Reading this article I see no issue of Anwar trying to undermine Tun. He was invited (not that he asked for it) to meet the royalties and he obliged out of courtesy. Any politician would have done it out of respect for the royalties. He did explain a few matters to the royalties to assure them that their position will not be undermined by the new government. Fair enough, as some royalties are worried that their position will be eroded with Tun coming into power. The scar of the old wound is still there. Umno and PAS are playing this wild card out of desperation.
My fair conclusion: Nothing sinister on Anwar's part.
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