Agong’s birthday Sept 9, to coincide with TYT’s

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Yang di-Pertuan Agong XV Sultan Muhammad V

KUCHING: The official birthday of Yang di-Pertuan Agong XV Sultan Muhammad V this year will coincide with the official birthday of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud on Sept 9.

So far there is no official reason for this coincidence.

The Prime Minister’s Department yesterday announced that the new date of His Majesty’s birthday has been shifted from the last Saturday of July (July 29) to Sept 9.

The government has agreed that the king’s official birthday is changed from July 29 to Sept 9, this year, the Prime Minister’s Department said in a press statement.

This is the second time this year that the Agong’s official birthday has changed.

In April, it was announced that the official birthday would be shifted from the first Saturday of June to the last Saturday of July. Then, the department said the amendment would be in effect for the next five years under the rule of Sultan Muhammad V, from 2017 to 2021 after taking into consideration that the first Saturday in June for 2017, 2018 and 2019 would fall during the fasting month of Ramadan.

However no reason was given for the latest change yesterday.

When queried, an Astana spokesman confirmed the peculiarity of the matter but said that it would be left to the state government to respond.

At press time, the state government has not yet come out with a statement.