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Palace: Agong had no choice but to consent to dissolution

Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah hopes the election will be held 'in the near future'.

Staff Writers
2 minute read
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Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah. Photo: Bernama
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah. Photo: Bernama

Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah today said he had been left with no choice but to consent to a request by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to dissolve Parliament.

"His Majesty expresses disappointment with the current political development and had no choice but to agree to the prime minister's request to return the mandate to the people to elect a stable government," said a statement released by Istana Negara, shortly after Ismail made a much awaited announcement on the dissolution of Parliament.

The statement said Sultan Abdullah hoped the the Election Commission would conduct the election "in the near future" by taking into account the northeast monsoon which the Malaysian Meterological Department (MetMalaysia) predicts will start in mid-November 2022.

"His Majesty stresses that a strong country is important to ensure political stability and continued economic prosperity for the well-being of the country and the people as a whole," it said. 

The dissolution came despite strong protest from many quarters, including about a dozen of Ismail's own Cabinet members who wrote to the Agong to voice disagreement with the holding of polls this year due to concerns about floods as well as disruptions to post-pandemic economy recovery.

This was followed by a visit by Sultan Abdullah to the National Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, where he was briefed on the country's disaster and flood preparations.

MetMalaysia had earlier advised against holding an election during the northeast monsoon season, amid calls for polls to be held this year by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. 

The department's deputy director-general Hisham Mohd Anip said that floods generally occur throughout the country during the monsoon period.

"Even during the transition period, many places have already flooded," he said on Oct 6, citing the recent floods in Perak and Johor. 

"So in terms of suitability, it will not help to hold an election."