Why the monarchy is the big winner from Malaysia’s political crisis

Newly installed Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has sought cooperation with rivals still smarting from defeat, at the request of Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah

The king’s intervention has been widely praised but analysts have noted that his role demonstrates the expanding political influence of Malaysia’s monarchs

Reading Time:8 minutes

Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has been widely praised for his efforts to resolve Malaysia’s political crisis. Photo: EPA

Published: 9:00am, 28 Aug 2021Updated: 9:38am, 31 Aug 2021

A semblance of political normalcy returned to Malaysia this week after a period of relentless elite feuding appeared to subside, having ushered in the country’s third prime minister in the space of 18 months.

As his first order of business after taking office on August 21, Ismail Sabri Yaakob urged his still seething rivals to put the “Malaysian family” first during the Covid-19 pandemic, while promising to nurture cross-party cooperation.

The peace pledge was met with cynicism on social media, but the 61-year-old leader, who is a generation younger than most of the country’s feuding political heavyweights, by midweek sought to prove he meant business.

Ismail Sabri on Wednesday invited the three most senior leaders of the opposition Pakatan Harapan bloc – the arch-rival of his United Malays National Organisation (Umno) – for talks.

As if that was not enough to raise eyebrows, the Pakatan Harapan head honchos led by Anwar Ibrahim – who had been vying for the prime ministership – signed a joint statement with Ismail Sabri committing to cooperate on various matters, including Malaysia’s Covid-19 response and reviving its battered economy.

Both sides later offered the same reason for declaring a temporary entente: such a pact was the explicit wish of Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

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