Anwar: King told politicians to unite against Covid-19, forge 'new politics'
The Yang di Pertuan Agong has urged politicians to unite against Covid-19 and forge "new politics", said PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking after a meeting between the king and leaders from political parties, Anwar (above) said all those in attendance also had a consensus to stop "old politics".
"The Agong started his decree with words of advice and a reminder that the country is facing a political and constitutional crisis, and that there was...
The Yang di Pertuan Agong has urged politicians to unite against Covid-19 and forge "new politics", said PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking after a meeting between the king and leaders from political parties, Anwar (above) said all those in attendance also had a consensus to stop "old politics".
"The Agong started his decree with words of advice and a reminder that the country is facing a political and constitutional crisis, and that there was a need to unite to face Covid-19 and (heal) the economy.
"The Agong also spoke about constitutional provisions to find a prime minister who has majority support of MPs, but politics has to change," he added.
Elaborating on this, Anwar said the "victors" should not act as those before them and oppress the "losers".
He was among several leaders who had an audience with Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
Others present were Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir, Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin, and representatives from GPS and Warisan.
Also present was Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah, who is the Deputy Yang di Pertuan Agong.
The meeting came a day after Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin resigned as prime minister after losing majority support from MPs.
According to Anwar, those in attendance had come to a consensus that they had to abandon "tiring, boring" politics.
"So we have to focus again towards development.
"The issue now isn't just about appointing a new prime minister, but more importantly as stressed by the Agong and the deputy Agong, there needs to be a new form of politics that is more peaceful and harmonious for the people," he said.
Anwar was the only politician who attended the meeting to speak with the press.
It is unclear if the king had called on the politicians to forge a unity government - but such interpretations have arisen after Anwar's remarks.
Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, in a Facebook post, said politicians should strive towards building a unity government.
"May all political parties welcome the king's advice to compromise and together form a unity government to tackle the pandemic and manage the people's wellbeing.
"This will bring down the political temperature," Asyraf said.
The new prime minister candidate appears set to be named via a vote submitted to the king.
All MPs had been ordered to submit their vote to the palace by 4pm tomorrow.
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