KUALA LUMPUR - Politicians of both stripes and Malaysians reacted swiftly in praising the King's decision not to declare a state of emergency on Sunday (Oct 25), with the hashtag #Daulat Tuanku, or long live the King, trending on Twitter following the royal proclamation. Democratic Action Party veteran and lawmaker Lim Kit Siang said the decision showed that the "constitutional monarchy proves to be an important bulwark of parliamentary democracy in Malaysia". "Malaysians from all walks of life thank the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah for deciding not to declare a state of emergency after a special meeting with Malay Rulers today," Mr Lim said in a statement. He called on all Malaysians, especially MPs, to unite to forge an "all-of-government" and "whole-of-society" war against the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Former DAP minister Yeo Bee Yin tweeted: "What now? Focus on fighting Covid, focus on building the economy, get Confidence & Supply Agreement work." She was referring to an earlier offer by several opposition politicians to reach a cross-party deal with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in what is known as a "confidence-and-supply" pact, where a party or a group of lawmakers agrees to support the government on motions of confidence or supply bills, in exchange for reforms. DAP vice-chair and former minister M. Kulasegaran tweeted: "Daulat Tuanku. Thank you for always being the people's King and doing what's best for the nation. A decision that comes as a relief to all Malaysians. Let's put aside politics and work to curb the spread of #COVIDー19 and focus on nation building." Muda party founder Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who had earlier supported the idea of a cross-party deal, called on all politicians to stop politicking. "I hope the prime minister will call up all political leaders to find common ground to ensure the country's stability," he was quoted as saying by Malay-language daily Berita Harian. Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin said the decision shows that the Federal Constitution should not be used arbitrarily. The King, "as well as the Malay Rulers have made a wise decision not to declare a state of emergency and have truly taken the rakyat's interest into consideration", he was quoted as saying by The Star daily. "In fact, the decision shows that the Federal Constitution should not be used arbitrarily." "Let this matter serve as a lesson to all parties, " he added.
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