KUANTAN: Pahang Umno has given the opposition 24 hours to state their stand on Datuk Mahfuz Omar's statement which purportedly insulted the Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Ahmad Shah.
The ultimatum was issued through Pahang Umno Youth chief Mohd Shahar Abdullah today.
Mahfuz, who is Pokok Sena Member of Parliament, created controversy recently when he commented on the poor health of the Sultan and compared it to that of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's (PPBM) 92-year-old chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
His statement, made on June 8 at a political ceramah, was captured on video and subsequently went viral.
Shahar slammed Mahfuz's action and said he should not draw any comparison between the two. A Sultan's position, he said, was above politics while Dr Mahathir's was purely political.
"His actions is stupid and insolent, and shows his inability to differentiate between the royal institution and politics.
"This action also paints Mahfuz as an egotistical person and does not reflect his longstanding involvement in the country's politics.
"As such, we challenge the opposition leaders, especially those in Pahang, to state their respective stance on this issue within 24 hours from 5pm today," he said.
Shahar was speaking to the media after he and other state Umno members, as well as NGO members, lodged police reports on the issue at the district police headquarters here this afternoon.
Among those who lodged reports were Kuantan Village Chiefs Organisation chairman Hassan Mohamad; state Peninsula Malay Students Organisation (GPMS) executive committee member Mohd Isharizall Mohamad Sahak; Kuantan Umno Youth chief Nara @ Nikman Nordin; Indera Mahkota Umno Youth chief Muhammad Faiz Hashim; and Kuantan MIC representative R. Rajan.
Shahar said that all politicians should know that issues involving the royal institution transcend politics.
He urged Mahfuz must be detained and probed under the Sedition Act 1948.