Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah at the opening ceremony of the second meeting of the first session of the 14th state assembly in Ipoh August 6, 2018. — Picture by Farhan Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — Once accused of disrespecting the Malay royal institution, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang was given an audience with Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah of Perak.

According to Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong, who is also the DAP political education director, the meeting took place two days ago, without elaborating on the location.

“DYMM Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Sultan Perak as the Acting Yang di-Pertuan Agong was willing to grant an audience to Lim Kit Siang and I, and a few friends.

“This is the first time Kit Siang has had an audience with His Majesty. Looks like both of them were glad to meet and discuss current affairs. Certainly his Majesty who is most knowledgeable was not miserly in sharing it with us,” Liew posted on his Facebook page today.

He included a group snap of the sultan, Lim and himself.

Also pictured were former chairman of national news agency Bernama Datuk Seri Annuar Zaini, Penang Institute executive director Datuk Ooi Kee Beng, and former Sungai Benut MP Tawfik Ismail, the son of the late deputy prime minister Tun Ismail Abdul Rahman when Tun Abdul Razak Hussein was prime minister.

DAP and several of its senior leaders, including Lim, have been repeatedly portrayed by Umno leaders and some media as being disrespectful of the Malay monarchy.

Controversy peaked during the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis over the choice of the state mentri besar, though Lim maintained that he had never made any statement against the monarchy.

The Iskandar Puteri MP who was formerly a Perak lawmaker had also hailed Sultan Nazrin in the past for speaking out against widespread corruption.