Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said that the State Secretary office had adhered to all procedures and rules in the organisation of the Independence Day eve celebrations at Dataran Kemerdekaan in Shah Alam on Thursday.     

NONE "This celebration not just involves political parties but is conducted by government officials through the State Secretary's office for the past few years and also by the previous administration," he told reporters after opening a cartoon exhibition at the Shah Alam Gallery today.        

Abdul Khalid was commenting on media reports stating the PKR-led Selangor government had sidelined the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, by not inviting him to the celebration.      

He added that they usually met the sultan every Wednesday, before the exco meeting, to inform him of all state programmes including the Independence Day eve celebration.          

Selangor Perkasa president Abu Bakar Yahya said the celebration was official in nature and meant for the people of Selangor, so the sultan should have been invited.    

'Anwar accorded higher status'

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Razak said the PKR-led Selangor government's failure to invite the Selangor sultan did not come as a surprise.       

He said the state leadership seemed to have greater respect for Opposition Leader and State Economic Advisor Anwar Ibrahim who was invited as the guest of honour to the function at Dataran Kemerdekaan, Shah Alam, on Thursday night, despite having no 'locus standi'.     

"How can Anwar be accorded a status higher than the sultan? The sultan, who is the symbol of the state, is not even respected," he said at the Selangor BN Aidilfitri 'open house' at the Rubber Research Institute (RRI) in Sungai Buloh.        

Najib said the opposition had other strange agendas they wished to carry out, such as changing the Malaysian flag and stating that their manifesto was not a commitment which needed to be fulfilled.   

"At present, many Selangor residents are disappointed because they have not received free water as promised in the manifesto of the opposition pact.

“Promises need not be fulfilled, the people can be duped, it's okay as long as the votes come in. Where's the dignity in such leaders?" he asked.       

- Bernama