KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — Veteran Umno politician Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today said that no one including executive powers can interfere with decisions made during the recent special meeting held by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong with the Conference of Malay Rulers.

He said based on existing law, no one has the right to forbid actions taken by the Conference of Malay Rulers.

“I was advised by my law advisers, that neither the Prime Minister nor Cabinet members have any power under the Federal Constitution or any law that fixes a date to delay or interfere with the requests of the Rulers.

“The authoritative words are ‘segera bersidang’ (convene immediately),” Tengku Razaleigh, otherwise known as Ku Li, said during a Facebook live telecast this evening.

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The former finance minister added that the executive powers of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet are only to advise the Parliament.

He said it was the right of the MPs and the decision of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker. 

“Nobody has the right to interfere in matters concerning the Dewan Rakyat, which decisions should be made by its members,” he said.

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The veteran politician’s message today comes after hearing public views regarding the Agong’s power to summon Parliament to reconvene.

“The King has done accurately and suitably in accordance of the principles and necessity which every living constitution has,” he said.

In contrast to this, last Friday, the attorney general said that the Cabinet is the one that determines when both houses of Parliament would meet, as the Agong’s constitutional power to summon for Parliament to meet is at the Cabinet’s advice.

Attorney General Tan Sri Idrus Harun had also sought to clarify the legal position under the Federal Constitution regarding the Agong’s constitutional functions.

According to Idrus, the Agong’s powers to summon for Parliament to reconvene and his obligation to act on the Cabinet’s advice, the attorney general had earlier in the statement highlighted two constitutional provisions, namely Article 40(1) and Article 40(1A).

He explained that these two constitutional provisions, among other things, provide that the Agong, while exercising his constitutional functions or functions under federal law, is to accept and act in accordance with the Cabinet’s advice or the advice of a minister acting under the general authority of Cabinet, except otherwise provided by the Federal Constitution.

The attorney general said the King’s position as a constitutional monarch who has to act according to advice given by the Cabinet was based on the Federal Constitution’s Article 39, Article 40 and Article 43.