Royal audiences with political leaders to discuss Covid-19 efforts, says palace

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s recent audiences with political leaders were to discuss concerns over efforts to fight the Covid-19 pandemic during the ongoing emergency period, the palace said today.

In a statement issued by the Comptroller of the Royal Household, Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, it said Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had met with 18 political leaders face to face as well as in virtual sessions from June 9 until today.

“Aside from meeting with political leaders, His Majesty also granted an audience to Arifin Zakaria, the chairman of the Special Independent Committee on Emergency, at Istana Negara today,” it said.

The palace said the meetings had taken place on the king’s initiative, and that the views put forth by the political leaders would be presented at a special meeting of Malay rulers at 2.30pm tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s meeting will be the second by the rulers to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, after a similar discussion in October last year.

The state of emergency was declared shortly after the second instalment of the movement control order was announced, amid a spike in Covid-19 cases in January.

The emergency period will run until Aug 1 but could end earlier if the number of positive cases can be controlled and reduced.