KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — All parties must understand the concept of power separation between the three government arms - the executive, the legislative and the judiciary, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah said today.

In his opening address at the third session of the 13^th parliamentary sitting this morning, the ruler also urged lawmakers to respect the Federal Constitution as the supreme law of the land.

“As a country premised on parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, we uphold the supremacy of the Federal Constitution and the sovereignty of the law.

“All parties must also understand that the separation of powers between the executive, the legislative and the judiciary practised in this country is in accordance with existing laws,” he said.

Earlier today, Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers turned up in black attires as a sign of protest against the jailing of their leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy.

Anwar and his colleagues from the opposition bloc have repeatedly maintained that his sodomy charges were politically-motivated, and blame political interference as the reason behind his imprisonment.

Last month, the Federal Court upheld the Court of Appeal’s 2014 ruling that had reversed Anwar’s acquittal of sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari, also sentencing him to five years’ jail.

Anwar, who is Permatang Pauh MP, is now at the mercy of Tuanku Abdul Halim to whom his family has submitted a pardon plea requesting for his release.

In his speech today, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong also reminded members of the lower house that Malaysia is a blessed state unlike any other, adding that respect and acceptance of one another is necessary to maintain peace and stability in the country.

“There is nowhere a better place than this blessed land of ours. Thus respect and accept one another for the sake of peace and stability,” he said.

Tuanku Abdul Halim went on to express his disappointment with several “isolated parties”, whom he said do not subscribe to values like peace and unity.

He also urged these groups to halt their actions, and told the authorities to execute necessary action.

Tuanku Abdul Halim also stressed on the position of Islam as the religion of the federation, saying this must be upheld at all times and never be questioned, as well as the freedom or those of other faiths to practise their respective religions.

Tuanku Abdul Halim said differences in opinions on religious matters should be handled by the authorities and not be polemicised.

Freedom of speech, he added, is a right that should be used responsibly and not to create tension in the country.

“Malaysia which subscribes to the wasatiyyah (moderation) approach is a small country but stands tall amongst other nations.

“The people of Malaysia are very fortunate to live peacefully. Our Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) has also made us proud with his pivotal role in formulating the International Maqasid Shariah Index recently,” the Yang di-Pertuan Agong said, urging all the MPs to always demonstrate exemplary character by upholding and safeguarding the federal constitution.