Ahead of the Conference of Rulers meeting tomorrow on the impasse over the appointment of Tommy Thomas as the next attorney-general, Anwar Ibrahim is seeking an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong tonight to discuss the matter.
According to The Malaysian Insight, the de facto PKR leader had already met with seven rulers – including the sultan of Johor, who he saw for the second time last night – to assure that Malay rights would be safeguarded in case a non-Muslim AG is appointed.
"My duty as a citizen with some influence is to discuss (with the rulers) and give them assurances. What I relayed to them was that in 60 years, the royal families had worked with the leadership of Umno and BN.
"Now the situation has changed. But the constitution has not changed. The status of the Malay rulers has not changed. Matters (such as the appointment of the AG) can be discussed and fleshed out," he told the portal.
Anwar further stressed that the choice of Thomas for the post was Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's prerogative.
According to Anwar, he has twice met with Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah and Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar over the matter.
The latter, he added, showed "no resistance" to the choice of Thomas, and made it clear that whoever is appointed AG needs to defend the constitution, which lays out the protections of Malay rights.
"We have to adhere to the constitution. However, there's nothing wrong with the rulers giving their opinions. So we should discuss the matter and find a formula, and the best solution.
"We ultimately know the choice (of the attorney-general) is the prime minister's in a parliamentary democracy,” Anwar was quoted saying.
"The king is allowed to give his views and advice and delay the appointment a little so that the feelings and sentiments of those who want to defend Malay traditions are delivered to the government.
"My feeling is that our wisdom and experience, in this case, are delivered clearly (to the rulers). We hope that the matter will be resolved shortly.
"The views of the urban folk, who are more liberal, may be different. The rural folk and the Malays there may think differently. It is the responsibility of a good government to take into considerations all these views,” he said, adding that he does not expect the situation to prolong, nor be turned into a crisis. - Mkini
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