Perak ruler decrees new gov't must be trustworthy, possess high integrity

PERAK DUN | Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah has decreed that the new government must fulfil their responsibility with sincerity and honesty.

"The trust I have bestowed on you to form an administration that is trustworthy and of high integrity should be honoured.

"It is imperative that you fulfil the wishes of the rakyat by ensuring not only that the administration is clean, but also that it does not abuse its powers. There has to be moderation and a limit to politicking.

"The rakyat's well-being cannot be sacrificed, nor the state's future destroyed for personal interests, whether due to over politicking, or in pursuit of sheer personal greed and desire to accumulate untold riches," said the ruler.

The ruler said this in his royal address at the Perak legislative assembly today - the first under the new Perikatan Nasional government led by Chenderiang state assemblyperson Faizal Azumu.

Faizal was once the menteri besar of Perak during the Pakatan Harapan administration which collapsed in early March after four assemblypersons from Bersatu left the coalition.

The new Perikatan Nasional Perak government consists of 25 Umno assemblypersons, four from Bersatu and three from PAS. Faizal, despite his party Bersatu being the minority in the new coalition, was reappointed as the menteri besar by Sultan Nazrin on March 13.

Covid-19 a catastrophe

On the Covid-19 pandemic, Sultan Nazrin described it as a catastrophe and urged his subjects to prepare themselves for the new challenges ahead.

"Going forward, we will have to adapt to the social-distancing and work culture of the New Normal, which we have been forced to abide by in efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic.

"Everything will have to change – the way we work, the way we do business, the way we manage our finances, the way we worship, the way we entertain, the way we spend our recreational time and the way we live.

"We have to be mentally ready to accommodate changes and to make the necessary adjustments to accept a new work culture, a new social culture and, ultimately, a new way of life," he said.

A silver lining, said the ruler, was that there were positive environmental outcomes from the various stay-at-home measures imposed.

The ruler said Malaysians should not return to the lackadaisical and cavalier attitudes towards the environment of the past.

"The rehabilitation of the environment should be a top priority, pursued without compromise. The agencies responsible for the environment should enforce environmental laws effectively and without hesitation," he said. - Mkini