National Day secretariat: Automatic invitations for ex-PMs stopped since 2018
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — Official invitations to National Day celebrations are not automatically extended to former...
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — The National Day Celebration 2026 Secretariat clarified on September 1 that automatic invitations for former prime ministers to National Day events ceased in 2018. This clarification came following inquiries about former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's participation in yesterday's National Day celebration at Dataran Putrajaya.
Abdul Halim Hamzah, the chairman of the 2026 National Day and Malaysia Day Celebration Working Committee and secretary-general of the Communications Ministry, stated that the procedures for invitations to major official federal government events are handled by the Prime Minister's Department's Protocol and International Conference Secretariat Division.
According to Hamzah, while former leaders' attendance is not prevented, it must be arranged through an application by the concerned party, following established procedures and management of official invitations. The Secretariat also reported that Dr Mahathir had submitted an application for an Overseas Rest Facility to the Prime Minister's Office, stating he would be abroad from August 28 to 31, 2026.
The application was approved by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, adhering to provisions under the Members of Parliament (Remuneration) Act 1980.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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