KUANTAN: The 15th Pahang state legislative assembly sitting's opening ceremony here tomorrow will be a historical moment for the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah as it will be his first as the Pahang ruler.
Al-Sultan Abdullah was sworn in as the country's 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Jan 31, 2019, some 15 days after being proclaimed as the Sultan of Pahang.
He concluded his five-year term on Jan 30 this year.
Since 2019, the Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah has been present to open the state legislative assembly sitting at Wisma Sri Pahang here.
Tomorrow, Al-Sultan Abdullah is scheduled to inspect the guard of honour at 9.30am before delivering his opening speech at the state assembly.
For the first time, the state assembly sitting could also witness the appointment of five assemblymen without going through the election process.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, when asked on the matter, briefly replied that it would be decided during the pre-council meeting tonight (April 5).
"We will get the views from the assemblymen and the unity government during the pre-council meeting before deciding on it (nominated assemblymen).
"I have received the names (potential candidates)," he told reporters when met after opening the International Conference on Contemporary Education in Islamic World at a hotel here today.
In Nov 2020, the Pahang state legislative assembly approved the motion to amend the state constitution to appoint five assemblymen without going through the election process.
The five assemblymen can participate in debates and have the right to vote but are not eligible to be elected as menteri besar or state executive council members.
On March 8, Wan Rosdy said several political parties including Amanah and MCA had submitted the potential names of individuals to be appointed as assemblymen during the state assembly sitting.
Meanwhile, it remains unclear if the anti-party hopping Bill will be tabled at the Pahang state legislative assembly this week after Perikatan Nasional last year requested for an extension to examine the bill.
Pahang is among the states that have yet to implement the anti-party hopping law for assemblymen since it came into force at the Federal level on Oct 5, 2022.
On a separate note, the saga involving allocations for opposition elected representatives in Pahang is expected to take centre stage at the state assembly this week as Pahang PN lawmakers are hoping to be treated equally like their unity government counterparts.
Last month, Pahang Pas commissioner, Rosli Abdul Jabar said none of PN's elected representatives received any allocation and they only received RM5,000 Ramadan aid in 2023 and this year.
He said the RM30,000 allocation by the Pahang government annually for development projects at opposition constituencies was handled by the district office and not given directly to the PN assemblymen. - NST
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