KUANTAN, April 15 — Insults against the royal institution should not occur in a country practising the constitutional monarchy system which places the king as the head of Islamic religion.

The Regent of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah said he was deeply affected by the recent actions of certain parties who had insulted the royal institution and the matter should not be viewed lightly.

“Stern action should be taken, in accordance with the law to ensure the dignity of the royal institution continues to be respected by all parties,” he said.

Tengku Hassanal said this when officiating of the second session of the 14th Pahang State Legislative Assembly here today.

At the same time, he also expressed concern over the attitude of some unscrupulous parties who seemed to challenge the sanctity of Islam in this country.

He hoped that the different political affiliations would not hamper efforts in preserving the sanctity of Islam as it was important to ensure that Islam was not mocked and its sensitivities were not ignored.

Tengku Hassanal also voiced concerns over various negative elements spreading among the Muslims such as liberal Islam and the acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) practices.

“This development concerned me greatly on how quick it is accepted by certain section of the community and as the head of religion in the state, I call on all parties including parents to put an end to this matter,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a separate matter, Tengku Hassanal expressed his hope that the responsible parties would cooperate with the state government to reduce dependence on mineral and natural resources alone.

“In pursuit of increased revenue, forest in the state should not serve as a mere logging and exploration area, but instead, it can be a source of income through the practice of a holistic environmental conservation system.

“This will further strengthen the tourism sector and will also be able to generate revenue for the state government through the means of imposing some types of fees including the admission free into the forest reserve and recreational parks in the state,” he said.

To realise this, he urged all parties to carry out a transparent impact assessment on environmental management for an area identified for development.

The Regent of Pahang also said that in driving the state towards the digital economy, rapid development should be mobilised in creating a fast and sophisticated information network through modern and up-to-date information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, in line with the fourth industrial revolution (IR 4.0).

“I would like to congratulate the state government on the establishment of ‘Pahang Go’ which will be a one-stop centre for digital and online service applications such as online parking system, e-payment application involving government levy, compound and utility charges and online complaint system.

He said agriculture and livestock sector should continue be strengthened to make Pahang a food producer state, apart from both the federal and state governments to help ease the burden of smallholders in the state following the collapse of palm oil prices in the international market. — Bernama