Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin today reminded MPs to conduct themselves as betting their position as solemn representatives of the rakyat.

NONE"I would like to remind members of the House that in this august House, your actions are observed and becomes an example to society," he told the first meeting of the fourth session of the 12th Parliament.

As such, the king urged, parliamentarians should conduct themselves with dignity and debate with decorum as part of their responsibilities to their electorate.

He also expressed concern over the tendency of certain quarters to raise sensitive and racial issues and politicise matters which they should not.  
 
His admonishments gained widespread thumpings of approval from the BN side of the House, as if to suggest it was their Pakatan counterparts who should listen carefully to the Agong’s words.

The king also advised all quarters to stay away from slander and baseless accusations to preserve the harmony of the country.

He said the sovereignty of the Malay rulers, the position of Islam as the religion of the Federation, the special position of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak, and the legitimate rights of the other races encompassing citizenship and fundamental rights, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, should not be questioned so as to avert disunity.
   
"I urge all quarters to uphold the rule of law and the constitution," Bernama reported him as saying.

Tuanku Mizan also said that although Islam was the religion of the federation, there was healthy practice of moderation in the country.

This has enabled other religions to be practised in peace and harmony and these religious festival days were also recognised and regarded as public holidays.

Don’t touch on sensitive issues
   
He said it was hoped that to ensure peace in the country, non-governmental organisations would avoid touching on issues which could jeopardise harmony and undermine the nation's image when implementing their programmes and activities.
   
NONEThe Yang di-Pertuan Agong also said that although the economy was now going through rapid recovery, as a nation that practised open economy, Malaysia must be sensitive to external factors such as the uncertain global economy.

Such factors pose a challenge to efforts towards strengthening the country's economy and subsequently the efforts to achieve a developed nation status with high income in 2020.
   
However, the King hoped that the Government Transformation Plan and Economic Transformation would benefit the people fully so that they could enjoy the improvement in the quality of life including education, health, housing transport and public amenities.
   
Tuanku Mizan also congratulated the government on Malaysia's success in being placed 10th in the World Competitiveness Report 2010, but hoped Malaysia would not be quickly satisfied with the achievement.

'Support the MACC'

NONEOn education, the King said educational transformation at the school level, particularly pertaining to the standard of curriculum introduced, would be able to raise further the education quality.
   
Tuanku Mizan also called for an improvement in the quality and skill of teachers and lecturers in teaching and learning besides maintaining dedication and integrity.
   
The King welcomed the strategic cooperation between the police and armed forces in tackling crime such as using military camps to train police personnel, to absorb former soldiers into the police force and to carry out joint patrols.
   
"I'm most impressed by this development because previously such strategic cooperation had been rare. It was a positive development that would bring much benefits to the people and country," he said.

In tackling corruption, Tuanku Mizan called on all quarters to give solid support and confidence to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in fighting corrupt practices, power abuse and irregularities in the country.