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The Malaysian king was praised by citizens and government critics on Sunday when he dismissed Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s plan for a state of emergency and urged warring politicians to find common ground amid mounting Covid-19 cases. .
Muhyiddin, who had been accused by the opposition of using the latest wave of coronavirus cases as an excuse to suspend parliament and prevent his turmoil-ridden government from being toppled, in a statement late at night acknowledged the sultan’s decision. Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, but he did. Not offering a clear indication of your next move.
Local news portal The Vibes quoted government sources as saying the prime minister is considering resigning.
Sultan Abdullah’s public comments following a meeting with the heads of eight of the country’s nine royal houses, which form the country’s Conference of Rulers and take turns being kings every five years, effectively nullifies the likelihood that Muhyiddin will suspend the legislature and govern. by decree indefinitely.
Muhyiddin has not publicly stated that he is seeking a state of emergency, but commentators and critics suggested that was his intention after he called an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Friday and sought the audience of Sultan Abdullah, the country’s constitutional monarch.
A statement issued by the Comptroller of the Royal Household, Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, said that the prime minister had requested an emergency declaration.
“His Majesty would like to remind politicians to stop doing politics immediately that may disturb the stability of the government,” Ahmad Fadil said in the statement.
[[nid:506154]]“After considering the [emergency] In requesting and discussing with the Malaysian rulers, in addition to taking into account the situation in the country, Sultan Abdullah feels that the government has done well in effectively handling the pandemic.
“Sultan Abdullah is of the opinion that, for the time being, it is not necessary for His Majesty to declare a state of emergency in the country or any part of it,” Ahmad Fadil added.
In a separate statement, the Rulers’ Seal Keeper, an official who serves all hereditary Malay monarchs, said that the eight sultans present at the meeting were “of the opinion that it was important to respect the mechanism of control and balance between all branches of government and also the [king’s] role to balance the diverse demands to guarantee justice and reduce any element of abuse of power ”.
The Malay word for “shorten” was highlighted in red, with the remainder of the two-page statement printed in black.
Ahmad Fadil’s statement on behalf of Sultan Abdullah, published shortly after the end of the meeting of the Malaysian sultans, attracted immediate praise from Malaysians on social media, with many posting messages on Twitter and Facebook with the phrase “Daulat Tuanku “, or Long Live the King.
M. Kula Segaran, a veteran member of the opposition Democratic Action Party, wrote on Twitter: “Thank you for always being the King of the people and doing what is best for the nation.”
“A decision that is a relief for all Malaysians. Let’s put politics aside and work to slow the spread of # Covid-19 and focus on nation building, ”he wrote.
Meanwhile, questions swirled around Muhyiddin’s next move. Some legal experts suggested that the final power to call an emergency rested with the prime minister, since the constitution stipulates that the monarch must act with the advice of the executive.
[[nid:500128]]Lawyer New Sin Yew said the palace’s statement indicated that Muhyiddin had simply presented the king with a proposal rather than advice.
“The ball is now in [Muhyiddin’s] Cut. He could persist with the proposal and advise the king to issue an Emergency Proclamation, which I suppose would be politically suicidal, or he could accept the king’s warning, which the king would be justified in doing, ”he said.
Muhyiddin, in a three-paragraph statement, acknowledged the king’s views, adding that his cabinet would further discuss the monarch’s advice to prioritize the Covid-19 pandemic. “I welcome the king’s call for the stability of the government to be safeguarded and not threatened,” he said.
The 73-year-old prime minister, who came to power in March after a disorderly power struggle that toppled the then-ruling Pakatan Harapan alliance, canceled a meeting previously scheduled for Monday morning with all the chief ministers of state. . Several ministers and senior officials were seen leaving their private residence in Kuala Lumpur late on Sunday.
The Vibes quoted a member of Muhyiddin’s group as saying “he [Muhyiddin] wants to do the right thing and resign, but is asked to stay [Senior Minister Azmin Ali] and others”.
Another source said that “there was also the question of whether he has the numbers to support him in parliament.” The source said: “This, compounded by the decision of the [king], makes him feel incapable of fulfilling his duties as prime minister. “
Daulat Tuanku.
Thank you for always being the people's King and doing what's best for the nation.
A decision that comes as a relief to all Malaysians.
Let's put aside politics and work to curb the spread of #COVIDー19 and focus on nation building. pic.twitter.com/Y9OYuWoXXI— M Kulasegaran (@mkula_official) October 25, 2020
Muhyiddin’s parliamentary majority is fragile, and commentators have suggested for weeks that his 2021 budget proposal, due for consideration on November 6, could be rejected, signaling a collapse in legislative support for his administration.
The opposition viewed the proposal for a national emergency as a covert means to avoid such an outcome. Ahmad Fadil’s statement noted that the budget was of the utmost importance, but he also praised the Perikatan Nasional government of Muhyiddin for successfully dealing with the coronavirus epidemic, something he said it would continue to do.
Anwar Ibrahim, leader of the opposition Pakatan Harapan alliance, had declared in September that he was seeking to overthrow Muhyiddin by inducing government MPs to back him as the next prime minister.
[[nid:504665]]The situation seemed to have calmed down last week when the United Malaysia National Organization (Umno), a key component of the ruling alliance, unilaterally declared a “political ceasefire.” The party, which ruled Malaysia from 1957 to 2018 and remains its largest political organization, had been seeking cooperation with Anwar.
The opposition leader in a late-night statement joined his allies in praising Sultan Abdullah. He acknowledged the monarch’s call for politicians to refrain from excessive politicking and said his focus would be on efforts to quell the public health crisis, deal with rising unemployment and revitalize the economy.
The political machinations have come as Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the Southeast Asian country, reaching a new daily high of 1,228 on Saturday before falling to 823 on Sunday.
This latest wave of cases, which far exceeded daily counts seen in early March that triggered a nationwide lockdown, has been widely attributed to the lack of physical distancing measures carried out by politicians during the campaign leading up to the elections in the state of Sabah on September 26.
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This article was first published in South China morning post.
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