KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Feb 2009: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin has expressed his displeasure over the attitude and behaviour of some members of parliament in the last session of the House.
He said the unbecoming behaviour of some MP s had brought disrepute not only to the MPs but also to the country.
“Let me remind the honourable members once again to display exemplary behaviour in this august House. As such, ‘Yang Berhormat’ should always abide by and respect the standing orders,” he said when opening the first meeting of the second session of the 12 Parliament here today.
The King also called on the people, irrespective of their political leanings, to work together and cooperate with each other to develop the country.
“All parties, including political parties, should show their wisdom and maturity and not resort to any actions, which could be detrimental to the political stability and economic development of the country,” he said.
Tuanku Mizan expressed his appreciation to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who will be handing over the reins to his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak next month.
“Let me register my appreciation to the Prime Minister for his leadership and contributions especially in the areas of democratisation, accountability, integrity, anti-corruption, judicial reinforcement, and Islam Hadhari.
“I hope the leadership transition will be smooth to enable the country’s development agenda to continue unhindered,” he said.
Almost all the MPs were present, including Abdullah, Najib and Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh.
A notable absentee was opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is in Doha, Qatar. Anwar was supposed to return home in time for today’s opening session, but missed his flight to KL, according to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Mohamed Azmin Ali said the party had written official letters to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker and also to the Private Secretary to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong explaining Anwar’s absence. — Bernama
