King calls for harmony, reject extremism, political stability under Anwar

By MINDERJEET KAUR, SYDI ALIF

13 Feb 2023 11:30am

The King and Queen - BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR - The King today said he had four prime ministers and four different Cabinets under his tenure.

In his speech at the Parliament, he said he now hopes Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the last prime minister before he ruturns to Pahang next year.

“I hope the 10th prime minister is the last (under my reign), before I return to Pahang Darul Makmur.”

He called on all politicians to work together for the sake of the country and said throughout his tenure, he only carried out his duties in accordance with the oath he took.

“I had no intention of getting involved in the nation’s politics, let alone get involved in political manouevres.”

He further said the incidents since the fall of Pakatan Harapan in 2020 could have been avoided if the 7th prime minister did not resign.

He called on harmony to prevent extremism as that the spirit of goodwill and respect among races is the basis of the country’s stability since independence.

"Actually, since this country achieved independence 66 years ago, we had accepted the existing multitude and diversity as the nation's main strength.

"At the age of 66, we should have been mature to make these unique differences as the main recipe in the formation of a Malaysian nation that is loving, respectful, tolerant and living in a firm unity."

The King further told MPs to not expect rewards and praises but to instead preserve the good name of the noble hall by putting first the fate of his people and future of the country in their service.

While he expressed his hope that all the MPs shall do their due diligence with a great sense of responsibilty and authority, he shared his wish for the opposition to take on their duty constructively and play a role in check and balance for his government.

"Put aside the shallow political agenda and rise together in the name of unity.

"Unity is the unification amid the racial and religious differences, unity is the foundation of stability and harmony, unity is the pillar of prosperity and progress, and unity brings success."