Palace: Anwar did not furnish names of MPs to back his claim

Anwar Ibrahim did not provide the names of the MPs who are supporting him during his audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, according to Istana Negara's comptroller of the royal household Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin.

"During the session, which lasted about 25 minutes, Datuk Seri Anwar presented the total number of members of the Dewan Rakyat who purportedly supported him.

"However, he did not furnish the names of these Dewan Rakyat members to strengthen his claim," he added in a statement this afternoon.

Therefore, he said Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had advised Anwar to abide by and respect the legal process as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

Previously, Anwar was supposed to have an audience with the Agong on Sept 22, a day before the opposition leader publicly claimed he had enough support to form a new government.

However, the meeting on Sept 22 was postponed as the Agong was undergoing treatment at the National Heart Institute (IJN) from Sept 21 till Oct 3, Ahmad Fadil said.

After today's audience, Anwar said the Agong would summon the heads of political parties over the next few days.

He urged for the Agong to be given time to study the documentation as well as to consult other party leaders.

On a separate matter, with regard to the developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ahmad Fadil said the Agong has advised the rakyat to remain calm and disciplined in obeying the standard operating procedures (SOP).

This is especially so as the government is re-imposing the conditional movement control order (MCO) on Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya starting midnight.

Even though the recent developments have been worrying, with the trend of triple-digit daily cases since Oct 1, Ahmad Fadil said the Agong is confident that everyone, regardless of race, religion or political allegiance can work together and fight against Covid-19.

Ahmad Fadil also said in line with the conditional MCO, and upon the Agong’s decree, Istana Negara has also implemented a semi-lockdown which would be in effect until further notice.

“The Agong is very concerned and cares greatly about the health and well-being of the officers and staff of Istana Negara and this implementation is to assure their safety,” he added.