The people come first, says King

PUTRAJAYA: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has sent a letter to the Cabinet, reminding them that their duty first and foremost is to serve the nation and her people.

Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah penned the advice to the ministers, stating they should not think of positions, personal interests or possessions while in power, says government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil.

Fahmi, who is also Communications Minister, said the letter was passed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a pre-Cabinet audience with the King on Tuesday, the last of such a meeting during His Majesty’s reign.

“The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has consented to send a letter to us, which the Prime Minister read out at the start of the Cabinet meeting,” he added.

Sultan Abdullah, said Fahmi, had also expressed his thanks to the Prime Minister, former prime ministers and ministers who had served during his five-year tenure as the King.

His Majesty’s term as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong ends on Jan 30, after which he returns to Pahang to resume his duties as the Sultan of the state.

The role is currently being handled by Sultan Abdullah’s eldest son and heir to the Pahang throne Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Since becoming the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah has attended 160 pre-Cabinet meetings with four different prime ministers: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, and Anwar.

The first pre-Cabinet meeting, which His Majesty attended, was on Feb 13, 2019.

On another matter, Fahmi said the Cabinet has not discussed the removal of subsidies for RON95 and diesel, debunking a chart that has gone viral claiming that fuel subsidies would be retracted in the first half of the year.

“There has been no decision. The Cabinet has not discussed this,” he added.

Fahmi also said the Cabinet had decided that the curriculum for pre-schools be coordinated by the Education Ministry so that it could be streamlined.

He said there were complaints from parents over the different quality of education at pre-schools.

“We want to ensure the quality of what is provided to the people, especially those in the low-income group, is guaranteed,” he told a press conference after the weekly Cabinet meeting here yesterday.

He said the Education Ministry would provide details on the matter in due time.

On Jan 22, the Prime Minister had said that the pre-school education system should be reviewed to ensure it is given additional facilities to improve the learning process.

Fahmi also said the Cabinet was informed of the contract appointment system for recruitment in the civil service, explaining that this would be temporary while a study on the salary system for public officers is being finalised.

He said a detailed explanation on this will be issued soon by the Public Service Department.

Public Service Department director-general Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz, in a circular, said the contract of service system would take effect from Feb 1.

He said the law was still being amended to allow for the creation of a new civil service recruitment method and that, once implemented, would reduce the country’s fiscal burden.