KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V has consented to an immediate royal pardon for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Dr Mahathir said a discussion was held with the Agong before he was sworn in as the country’s seventh prime minister last night at Istana Negara.
“We have made a promise in our manifesto within 100 days we will implement 10 of the major conditions that we want to change.
“Among these of course is the abolition of the Goods and Services Tax. But even before that, in the course of our discussion, our four members discussion with the Agong yesterday, the Agong has indicated to one of us, actually to Lim Guan Eng, that he is willing to pardon Anwar immediately.
“So we will go through the proper process of obtaining a pardon for Anwar, it is going to be a full pardon which of course means that he should not only be pardoned but be released immediately when he is pardoned.
“After that, he will be free to participate fully in politics.
“That’s one of the things we decided because of our meeting with the Agong last night. So this meeting was very short which focus on principles only,” he said during a press conference held at Yayasan Al-Bukhary here today.
Also present were PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng.
Reports by FARHANA SYED NOKMAN, TASNIM LOKMAN, MANIRAJAN RAMSAMY, RIZANIZAM ABD HAMID, NUR LELA ZULKIPLI AND ROHANIZA IDRIS