King draws cheers with witty remark
KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V, drew applause and cheers from the MPs from both sides in the Dewan Rakyat when he jokingly advised everyone to remain in their seats and not to leave as he prepared to deliver his royal address.
The remark by His Majesty brought to mind the incident at the swearing-in of MPs yesterday when several opposition MPs walked out after expressing dissatisfaction at the procedure in the election of the new Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat.
“Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, President of the Dewan Negara and Honourable Members of the House, please be seated and do not leave,” His Majesty said with a smile and then sat down to deliver the royal address to open the first meeting of the first session of the 14th Parliament.
Walkouts by MPs are not new in Parliament as these occur at almost every meeting.
In his address, Sultan Muhammad V advised all MPs to discharge their duties with honesty and dedication.
“I hope all Honourable Members will participate in the debates in a healthy and mature manner and in a way to stimulate thought,” he said.
The King also said that they should provide suggestions and prudent and wise criticism with courtesy so that Parliament continued to be respected and held with high regard by the people and the outside world.
The first meeting of the Dewan Rakyat will be for 20 days up to Aug 16.