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SINGAPORE: The King of Malaysia, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, has rejected Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s suggestion to declare a state of emergency as the number of COVID-19 cases in the country continues increasing.
The palace’s decision on Sunday (October 25) is seen as a blow to Muhyiddin. The proposed state of emergency would have empowered his government of Perikatan Nasional (PN) to pass laws without the need for parliamentary approval.
This includes the 2021 national budget, which will be presented by Mr. Muhyiddin on November 6. The budget will be key in helping Malaysians cushion the economic impact of COVID-19.
The freedom to sidestep the parliamentary debate on next year’s budget would have been welcome for the ruling bloc amid political uncertainty in the country.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has claimed that he has a convincing majority to take over the government.
Meanwhile, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which is part of the Muhyiddin government, has been campaigning for a fairer redistribution of government and ministerial posts as it has the largest number of legislators in the ruling coalition.
READ: COVID-19: No need to declare state of emergency at this time, says King of Malaysia
Associate Professor Ahmad Martadha Mohamed, who heads the Governance and Integrity Group at the School of Law, Government and International Studies at Universti Utara Malaysia, told the CNA that Muhyiddin had proposed the emergency ordinance probably because he feared it would not pass. the national budget for 2021. since it did not have the support of the majority of the deputies.
“As the ordinance will not be enacted for now, the budget will now have to go through the normal process of parliament,” said associate professor Ahmad Martadha.
Here’s how the king’s decision could affect the upcoming budget debate:
WILL THE PARTIES TO THE OPPOSITION COMPLY WITH THE ROYAL DECREE AND LEAVE THE POLICY?
Although his proposal for a state of emergency was rejected, Muhyiddin may be encouraged by the fact that the king backed his government’s ability to lift the country out of the pandemic.
In a statement issued by the palace, the Comptroller of the Royal Household Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said: “After considering (the prime minister’s) request and discussing with the Malaysian rulers, and considering the situation in the country, Al-Sultan Abdullah felt that The current government has managed to deal with this pandemic adequately and effectively.
“His Majesty strongly believes in the ability of the Government under the leadership of the Prime Minister to continue to implement policies and compliance actions to curb the symptoms of the COVID-19 epidemic so that they do not continue to spread,” the statement added.
The decree also warned politicians, without specifically naming them, to “immediately stop any policy that may disturb the stability of the government.”
Political analyst Oh Ei Sun, a fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, noted that the royal decree was “simply a council of the king who is a constitutional monarch” and therefore does not interfere with parliamentary democracy.
Therefore, in principle, the deputies could continue with their “struggle for power” and vote for or against the budget bill, he explained.
“But the Malaysian body politic remains very feudal in its collective mindset, where royalty is held in exalted respect, so that some politicians may be persuaded not to ‘rock the boat’ and continue to support the government by voting for the budget. . It remains to be seen whether or not such advice would be summarily followed, ”said Dr. Oh.
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks to members of the media in Kuala Lumpur
Adjunct Professor Ahmad Martadha also noted that, according to statements by some opposition parties, there appears to be a commitment to “abide by the king’s decree” and not to do anything that endangers the stability of the government.
For example, Anwar said in a statement Sunday night: “I duly take note of the advice given by His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong that political leaders and members of Parliament should exercise restraint and refrain from excessive politicking during This weather.
“Political leaders and parliamentarians must fulfill their duties to defend the Constitution and their responsibilities to the people, the institution of Parliament and the nation to defend justice, reject corruption and abuse of power.”
Associate Professor Ahmad Martadha said that Mr. Muhyiddin will also seek assurance from the leaders of these parties “to comply with their declarations” that they are willing to work with the government, before he presents the budget.
CAN MUHYIDDIN SUPPORT UMNO?
In addition to challenges from the opposition, Muhyiddin may also face those of the ruling bloc.
Adjunct Professor Ahmad Martadha said that many UMNO members are not satisfied with Muhyiddin’s leadership and have not been afraid to voice their complaints.
“There are signs that many UMNO members, especially those in corruption trials, may not be happy with the status quo. Some of them have also hinted that they could support Anwar as prime minister, ”said adjunct professor Ahmad Martadha.
“I think they will support Muhyiddin for this budget, but it also depends on negotiations,” he added.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, president of the United Malaysia National Organization (UMNO). (File photo: Bernama)
According to reports, Mr. Muhyiddin had agreed to meet with all PN party leaders on Monday morning. However, UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi did not attend because he was reportedly unwell.
In a statement issued Sunday night, Ahmad Zahid expressed his hope that all party leaders could come together and “focus on managing the spread of COVID-19 for the safety of the people.”
He also called for a “national reconciliation initiative” that encompasses the Malaysian political, economic, social and security agenda.
The UMNO high council is scheduled to meet on Monday evening.
Dr. Oh opined that Muhyiddin might have to negotiate with UMNO, as the support of the party’s MPs would be essential to pass the 2021 budget.
“The UMNO, in essence, is the lynchpin of the budget bill’s approval, as it has the largest bloc of undecided members of parliament,” he said.
“Muhyiddin would probably have to deploy some sort of divide-and-beat tactic to secure some more factions in UMNO to support his budget,” added Dr. Oh.
READ: Malaysia, amid political turmoil, will host APEC virtual summit in November
WOULD MUHYIDDIN RESIGN IF THE BUDGET IS NOT APPROVED?
Analysts interviewed by the CNA said the PN government could collapse if Muhyiddin fails to win the support of the simple majority to pass the budget and approve the expenditures.
Associate Professor Ahmad Martadha said that if this situation arises, Mr. Muhyiddin could resign and let the king appoint a new prime minister, or he could ask for the dissolution of parliament and the holding of general elections.
However, Dr. Oh pointed out that holding elections in the short term would endanger the lives of Malaysians. He pointed out how the government’s decision to hold the Sabah state elections in September has been widely criticized as it has led to an increase in COVID-19 cases over the past month.
“Holding general elections during this pandemic period would perhaps be politically and epidemiologically unsustainable. So (if the budget is not approved) Muhyiddin will probably have to resign and the king will appoint a new prime minister, ”he added.
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