Malaysia's king opens first session of new parliament
17 July, 2018
Malaysia's Sultan Muhammad V opened the first meeting of the 14th parliament on Tuesday (Jul 17) and delivered his speech ahead of the parliamentary debates that will begin on Wednesday.
This marks a significant point in history as Malaysia is being led by the new Pakatan Harapan government after their shock victory in the May general elections.
The meeting also signified another milestone, as this is the second time that the king has opened a parliamentary session in the same year.
On Mar 5, Sultan Muhammad V officially opened the first meeting of the sixth session of the 13th parliament before it was dissolved in April, to pave the way for the May 9 poll.
He arrived at Parliament Square at 10am on Tuesday and was welcomed by the House's speaker Mohamad Ariff Yusof and Senate president S Vigneswaran.
Also present to greet the king on his arrival were Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, his wife Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, as well as deputy prime minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Upon the king's arrival, the royal flag was hoisted, accompanied by a 21-gun salute and the national anthem.
In his speech, the king told members of parliament that they need to find points of unity and work together.
He also acknowledged the role of women and commended the government's commitment to transparency.
Earlier on the Monday, the swearing-in of parliament members saw opposition lawmakers staging a mass walkout. They were protesting the appointment of the Speaker of parliament, Mohamad Ariff Yusof.