The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin, today officially opened the first session of the 11 th parliament, the first sitting of the House after the general election which saw the Barisan Nasional win by a landslide victory.

In his 30-minute royal address, the king expressed his satisfaction with the conduct of the recent-concluded general election.

"I am grateful to God and pleased that the 11th general election had been carried out smoothly without any untoward incidents occurring," he told the assembled members of parliament, senators and foreign diplomats who filled the newly-refurbished chamber of the Dewan Rakyat.

The king also expressed his confidence in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration and expressed his gratitude to former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who retired last October after 22 years in power.

He said the country's smooth transition of power was a tradition that Malaysians should be proud of.

He stressed that politically stability, cordial relation among the various races and steady economic growth were the key factors that contributed to the betterment of the country.

The King said areas of concern were also being addressed and action was being taken to tackle the racial polarisation among youth through the national service programme, to enhance the public service delivery system and to battle corruption.

He also warned that unemployment and a low purchasing power could eventually lead to social chaos as the people would not be able to think rationally then.

"They (the people) will be controlled by their emotions and will start acting irrationally. They will be influenced by rumours and eventually resort to actions that could endanger the country's peace and order," he said.

Election irregularities

Responding to the royal address, Kamarudin Jaffar (PAS-Tumpat) told malaysiakini that the highest ever number of election petitions filed after the March 11 polls and the two election suits by the opposition gave an 'indication of widespread discontent'.

Over 30 petitions have been filed with the Election Court by both BN and the opposition while Parti Keadilan Rakyat has filed a suit against the Election Commission (EC) alleging polls "illegalities".

PAS yesterday also filed a similar suit against the EC over the body's conduct of the election.

"The EC should table a full, comprehensive and objective report to the Malay Rulers' Council to present the full picture to their Highnesses," Kamaruddin said.

The PAS central committee member also pointed out that issues linked to the general election may not be debated much at the current parliament session as the matter may be sub judice with the petitions already before the courts.

DAP vice-president and Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw proposed that parliament establish a select committee to study how to make the EC truly independent.

"The alleged election irregularities involving the EC has to be studied and reviewed," he said when met at the parliament lobby.

On the royal address, the sixth-term parliamentarian said he was disappointed there was no mention on issues pertaining to the country's indigenous people and their poor hygiene and healthcare standards which needed to be addressed by the government..