Istana Negara postpones Ahmad Zahid’s audience with Agong

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has been postponed.

The Umno president told The Star Online that Istana Negara had informed him that the meeting had been postponed to a later date.

“Yes, my meeting has been postponed as well to a later date,” he told the English daily when contacted.

Earlier today, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan had said that Ahmad Zahid was scheduled to have an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at 5pm.

Istana Negara has also postponed a meeting with DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) president Mohamad Sabu.

In a joint statement, the two party leaders said they were supposed to have an audience with the King today and on October 21 respectively.

Yesterday, Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said after his audience that the Agong would meet the heads of political parties to verify the former’s claim to have secured majority support with which to take over the government.

However, the Istana Negara said in a statement after Anwar’s audience that the Opposition leader did not provide a detailed list of lawmakers whose support he claimed, and that Al-Sultan Abdullah then advised Anwar to abide by the Federal Constitution.

The comptroller of the royal household also said that Istana Negara was in a “semi-lockdown” pursuant to the conditional movement control order imposed on the Klang Valley.

Umno veteran Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was seen entering the Istana Negara after Anwar left yesterday.