KUALA LUMPUR: All Umno members of parliament must distance themselves from being dragged into the current crisis involving the government and the palace.
Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, fondly known as Tok Mat, said the 38 MPs from the party must not be seen as taking a position that could be construed as going against the palace's advice.
He said this was because the pledges to show obedience and defend the palace institution are embedded in the Umno constitution.
"Therefore, I urge Umno MPs, using their intelligence and wisdom, to do the right thing and stay in line with the party's stand.
"No excuse can be used to defend a government that is seen as defiant, reckless and failing to implement His Majesty's orders and advice to carry out its responsibility to preserve, protect and defend the Federal Constitution.
"Loyalty to the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government cannot surpass the loyalty to the king, the country and the party and so, the choice is clear for all Umno elected representatives.
"Unless they prefer to choose the opposite while the country and its people are losing faith in the PN government," he said in a statement today.
During Monday's special parliament sitting, Minister in Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law Affairs) Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan revealed that the Cabinet had decided to revoke the emergency ordinances on July 21 since the government would not advise the king to extend the current state of emergency.
Yesterday, however, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong expressed "great disappointment" over Takiyuddin's remark in the Dewan Rakyat, describing it as misleading since the king has not given his consent for the ordinances to be revoked.
Mohamad said the press statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) yesterday in response to the palace, complicates things further as it had effectively thrown Malaysia into a serious constitutional crisis.
"The government's arrogance and indecency shown to His Majesty were clear and therefore, Umno's stand on this matter was made clear in the statement by Umno president (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) yesterday.
"All members and loyal supporters of the party, no matter what your positions are in or out of the government, it is compulsory for you to obey and follow the party's stance because this is a collective decision by the party.
"It is also in line with the grassroots' view during the Umno General assembly and was finalised during the July 7 Supreme Council meeting.
"Following the palace's revelation yesterday, it further proves that the party is on the right side. The government has clearly turned its back on the royal institution, committed unconstitutional actions and was not truthful in parliament," he said.