Fifteen Melaka reps to seek audience with King

MELAKA: Fifteen Melaka assemblymen, comprising eleven Opposition representatives and the four who recently defected from the Perikatan Nasional-led state government, will be going to Istana Negara to seek an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on Thursday (Oct 7).

Independent Pengkalan Batu lawmaker Norhizam Hassan Baktee said the decision to seek an audience was reached after Yang-di Pertua Melaka Tun Dr Mohd Ali Rustam refused an audience with the 15 and instead went ahead to dissolve the state legislative assembly.

“All of us felt that there were double standards as Tun (Dr Mohd Ali) is only siding Umno and not willing to even give us a chance to meet and explain to him.

“All 15 of us will travel in a bus to Istana Negara on Thursday if we are granted an audience,” he said on Wednesday (Oct 6).

Norhizam said Ali could have met the 15 through an online platform as he was currently undergoing self-quarantine for two weeks from Sept 30, following close contact with a Covid-19 case.

Norhizam said Ali should have studied and abided by the Melaka state constitution before deciding to dissolve the state assembly.

“Furthermore, withdrawal of support by four of us meant that the former chief minister (Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali) had lost his position and qualification to advise the Yang-di Pertua,” he said.

Apart from Norhizam, Sungai Udang assemblyman Datuk Seri Idris Haron, Pantai Kundor assemblyman Datuk Nor Azman Hassan and Telok Mas assemblyman Noor Effandi Ahmad had withdrawn their support for Sulaiman on Monday (Oct 4).

On Tuesday (Oct 5), Melaka Speaker Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh said Ali had agreed to dissolve the Melaka legislative assembly.