Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said today an explanation would be given to the Sultan of Selangor over the absence of an official invitation for His Royal Highness to attend the state-level 55th Merdeka Day celebration, if necessary.

"If it is necessary, we will give the explanation but before that we must give an opportunity to those who organised the event to give their views," he said when asked to comment on his readiness to seek an audience to explain the matter which has erupted into a controversy.

The invitation to any official state government event is made at least one month prior to the date of the event, he said when approached by reporters at an Aidilfitri function organised by the Selangor State Development Corporation, at Shah Alam.

"No event is held on an ad hoc basis. It is planned properly, and the protocol officers remind us how the programme must be implemented," he said.

He said the invitation to the sultan rested with the task force chaired by State Secretary Muhammad Khusrin Munawi.

"We will discuss the matter at the exco meeting tomorrow, and I believe the task force led by the state secretary has the answers and views on the matter.

"I have to give them an opportunity to explain what happened and what should be done," he said.

Asked whether he was prepared to apologise to the sultan on the matter, he said: "That is a matter we will do if necessary, otherwise we will not. "

Khalid said the state government would scrutinise the record of invitations for the Merdeka Day celebration because the matter only cropped up four years after the Pakatan Rakyat took over the state administration.

It would look at the invitations from 2004 to 2012, he said.

- Bernama