Conference of rulers records grief over Sabah quake
KUALA LUMPUR: The Conference of Rulers today recorded its grief over last Friday’s earthquake in Sabah that claimed 18 lives.
The 238th meeting of the Conference of Rulers, held over two days from Wednesday, also expressed sympathy for the families of the dead and hoped that they would have the fortitude in facing the unexpected tragedy, said the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, Datuk Seri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad.
“The conference realises that though tragedy can befall anyone at any time, the earthquake was the first of such a magnitude, almost six on the Richter Scale, that occurred in Malaysia.
“The disaster resulted in the loss of lives, injuries and destruction of property of both Malaysians and foreign tourists,” he said in a statement.
The earthquake of 5.9 magnitude struck at 7.15 am on Friday. The 18 people who died comprised 10 Singaporeans, six Malaysians, one Chinese and one Japanese.
Syed Danial said the Conference of Rulers greatly appreciated and recognised the swift response of public and private organisations and the public to help the quake victims, which it felt proved that Malaysians were united during any disaster and lent a hand to ease the suffering of the victims regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion and culture.
“May this spirit and positive attitude continue to be nurtured and developed to be our practice and culture at all times and events. Precautionary measures should be institutionalised as an effective standard operating procedure to face similar incidents in the future,” he said.
On the 238th meeting of the Conference of Rulers, he said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, attended the meeting which was chaired by the Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Ahmad Shah, at the Istana Negara.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak also attended the meeting.
The meeting was attended by all the Malay rulers except the Sultan of Terengganu, who was represented by the Tengku Sri Temenggong Raja, Tengku Baharuddin Ibni Almarhum Sultan Mahmud, and the Sultan of Johor, who was represented by the Tunku Temenggong of Johor, Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim.
Syed Danial said the conference was briefed on national defence by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zain, and on security, by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim.
He also said that other matters discussed included Islam, the appointment of the chairman and members of the Public Service Commission and the reappointment and fresh appointment of the appointed members of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs. - Bernama