When Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of the eastern state of Terengganu was preparing to become Malaysia's king in 2006, he did something that should have been a warning that it would not be business as usual under his rule.
'He asked to be briefed by legal experts on his exact duties and the exact powers vested in his office as king,' says Raja Petra Kamaruddin, an expert on the Malaysian royalty. 'He was briefed at length and only after he was satisfied that he was not a ceremonial puppet did he consent to be king.'
The new monarch's interest in the powers of his office signalled that he would be exact to the point of being immovable on issues where the constitution required him to use his discretion to protect the public interest. Few people took notice and, with the king at the centre of an unprecedented constitutional crisis last week, many regret missing the signs.
'This king is different. He reads, he discusses issues with top aides and he wants to be hands-on,' says Raja Kamaruddin, a member of the Selangor royal house. 'He even wrote a comment on a political analysis I had written on my website. The king corrected me.
'He is not the type to party the night away and sleepwalk through his five-year term as king. He gave notice that he is not going to be a ceremonial puppet but will exercise the powers of his office, however limited, to benefit the people and to curb government excesses.'
Sultan Mizan is doing just that, challenging Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi over who has the power to select the person to lead the government in Terengganu state after the March 8 polls.
