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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s royal rulers will hold a special meeting this weekend to discuss proposals made by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Friday, the palace said on Saturday (October 24).
“Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah will meet with the Malaysian rulers in Istana Negara as soon as possible to discuss and refine the suggestions proposed by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin,” Datuk Indera Palace Comptroller Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said in a statement.
While the statement did not explicitly mention a state of emergency, it is believed that this is what will be discussed.
Sultan Abdullah had granted an audience with Tan Sri Muhyiddin at the royal palace in Kuantan, Pahang at 5 pm on Friday for about an hour and a half, according to the statement.
He added that the King “understands very well the need for continuity in the country’s administration to combat the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic” and that he is also aware of the “concern and anger that citizens face.”
The King urged citizens to remain calm and not to panic.
“All citizens are advised not to speculate, as this could cause confusion and discomfort, as well as threaten the peace of our beloved country.”
Malaysia was thrown into political turmoil on Friday after Prime Minister Muhyiddin met with the king to discuss the imposition of emergency measures.
The consent of the constitutional monarch is required to invoke emergency powers.
Muhyiddin chaired a special cabinet meeting in Putrajaya on Friday morning to decide on emergency measures.
An “economic emergency” was being raised to ensure that government spending to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, which has doubled in total cases this month alone, is not compromised by an increasingly unstable political atmosphere.
Muhyiddin faces the possibility of a vote of no confidence and of not passing the national budget when Parliament meets on November 6, if it does not have the support of the majority.
An emergency declaration could suspend Parliament, preventing any attempt to undermine his Perikatan Nasional rule.
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