Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah emerges as major political force amid turmoil
- Since independence, the country’s monarchs mainly performed ceremonial functions like swearing-in ministers or pardoning criminal convicts
- But with an administration that is one of the weakest in history, the king’s decisions have become crucial in determining whether the PM stays or goes
Is Malaysia’s king taking sides in the current political turmoil?
But now, with the government holding at best a two-vote majority in parliament, the king’s decisions have become crucial in determining whether Muhyiddin’s administration stays or goes. The monarch has the constitutional power to appoint a prime minister or deny a request to dissolve parliament for an election, which in normal times merely confirms the outcome of a vote or the sitting government’s recommendation.
The lack of a clear mandate for the current prime minister now gives the king more weight, including when he makes statements on policy matters like the budget or the right coronavirus response.
“We have now a royalty becoming more prominent, more assertive in politics,” said Johan Saravanamuttu, an adjunct senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies who has written about Malaysian politics for more than 30 years. “It’s actually making important decisions with respect to politics.”
The king’s influence will be tested in the next few weeks. He has expressed “full confidence” in Muhyiddin’s ability to lead the country through the crisis and urged lawmakers to vote for the budget his government presents on November 6. If it does not go through, pressure will increase for the prime minister to resign or call an election – adding more risks for investors already concerned about a surge in coronavirus cases.
The palace did not respond to emailed questions on the role of the monarchy in Malaysia before publication.
Malaysia’s rotational monarchy is composed of the rulers of nine Malay states. The position of the king is passed among the rulers, with each term lasting five years.
After the country’s independence in 1957, the sultans and the ruling coalition led by the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) for the most part enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship.
After Mahathir’s first 22-year stint in power ended in 2003, the sultans have “found ways to come back into the limelight,” said Greg Lopez, a lecturer at Murdoch University Executive Education Centtr in Perth.
“They are a power centre, so the politicians know that it’s a mistake to give them power because then they hold you in check,” he said. “So weak politicians, weak leaders go to them.”
Muhyiddin ‘contemplating resignation’ after king rejects emergency plan
Many in Malaysia are welcoming the enhanced role for the king, seeing him as a voice of reason during a time of political instability, economic distress and pandemic-related anxiety. When the king stopped emergency rule, “#daulattuanku” – which roughly means long live the king – was trending on Twitter.
The Edge newspaper reported last month that police arrested a local opposition politician for seditious comments about the monarchy posted on Facebook.
The monarch’s actions this year have been “unprecedented”, said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. “The monarchy assumes a much more constitutionally enhanced position.”