IPOH: The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah today called on the state leaders who have been appointed to fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to them with sincerity, honesty, fairness and impartiality in accordance with the Constitution and the law.

His Highness said they should be fair and just in allocating resources and development programmes, and there should be no prejudice, discrimination and suppression against any party.

"The people should not be punished to bear any hardship. Instead, the spirit of democracy must be upheld, and the interests and welfare of every common citizen should be in the hearts of leaders as a perpetual priority," he said when officiating at the First Year of the 15th Perak State Legislative Assembly at the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building here today.

Also present was Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim.

Earlier, Sultan Nazrin inspected a guard-of-honour mounted by three officers and 102 members of the 1st Battalion of the General Operations Force (GOF) led by DSP Mohamad Rafizul Rosdi and ASP Mohd Al-Hakim Al-Bakhri as the flag bearer, accompanied by the Royal Malaysian Air Force Academy Band.

He said the state's population stands at 2.5 million, comprising 61.5 per cent Malays and Bumiputera, 26.7 per cent Chinese, and 11.3 per cent Indians who observe various religious beliefs, inherit diverse cultures and are proficient in multiple languages

As such, the Ruler said extreme views on ethnicity and religion which incite hatred and potentially provoke hostility among citizens must be stopped.

"Firm and immediate action must be taken to stop activities of any party whether through speech or actions, that poison minds and fan negative emotions of people by exploiting differences in ethnicity and religion," he said.

Sultan Nazrin said as political stability is the determinant of economic recovery and development, the state government is committed to ensure a stable political environment.

"The people require efficient economic governance to enable the resumption of economic activity. They desire a government that is capable and energetic in administering the state's affairs, skillful and wise in managing state resources, preventing pilferage and avoiding waste

"The people want a transparent and trustworthy government, free from corruption and breach of trust," he added.

Sultan Nazrin said the state government needs to listen and understand the concerns facing the population, such as unemployment, high cost of living, food insecurity, environmental sustainability, education, healthcare, housing as well as quality public relations and digital communication.

As such, he said it is important for the state to work with the Federal government to implement strategic measures that create a favourable investment climate, increase employment opportunities, address the cost of living, ensure food security, and improve social facilities and services.

"Given the uncertain global economic environment and the high debt burden, state spending will be channeled to prioritised initiatives that provide direct benefits to the people, and strict thrift measures to reduce wasteful spending will be enforced.

"Our government will fully consider the key message from GE-15 which is the rejection of corrupt practices, financial leakage, abuse of power, and breach of trust," added His Highness.

-- BERNAMA