Faekah’s excuse ‘ludicrous and outrageous’

The political secretary was ticked off for saying that the onus was on Selangor sultan's private secretary to inform the government of his wish to attend the Merdeka celebrations.

PETALING JAYA: A MCA assemblyman has criticised Faekah Husin, the political secretary to Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, for blaming the Selangor sultan’s private secretary for not informing the state government that the ruler wanted to attend the state-level Merdeka Day celebration.

Yap Ee Wah, the Sungai Pelek assemblyman, said that Faekah should not pass the buck and her reason for not inviting the sultan was “ludicrous and outrageous”.

“Is the Sultan of Selangor, as the sovereign head of the state, expected to ask the state government to be invited to each state-level occasion?” Yap asked.

“With so many state executive councillors, how come not one of them saw it proper to remind the government to extend an invitation to his royal highness?”

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah was given the snub to the state-level celebration held at Dataran Kemerdekaan, Shah Alam, which was led by Khalid, several executive councilors and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Yap said the state should have extended an automatic invitation to the sultan, as is done at the federal-level celebrations where the presence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is expected every year.

He said the slight to the sultan was made worse with Anwar’s presence, especially when the latter was not a Selangor representative.