Explainer | Malaysia’s next king: Islam’s defender, political tightrope walker (just ask Mahathir Mohamad)

Malaysia’s hereditary rulers are about to elect a new king. Here’s what powers he’ll have, how he’s elected and why he might want to be careful around the prime minister

Pahang’s Sultan Abdullah is the favourite, but Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar is also in with a shot

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Pahang state’s Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah is tipped to take the throne. Photo: AP

Published: 9:00pm, 23 Jan 2019Updated: 10:46pm, 16 Feb 2019

Malaysia’s nine hereditary Malay rulers will elect their new king, or Yang di Pertuan Agong, tomorrow – just weeks after the previous king, Sultan Muhammad V, stepped down in an unexplained shock resignation following weeks of speculation. It was the first time a Malaysian head of state had abdicated. Experts and insiders believe the new agong will be the Pahang state ruler, Sultan Abdullah, but just why is the monarchy so important to Malaysia?

1. WHAT POWERS DOES THE AGONG HAVE?

The agong serves as Malaysia’s head of state, not dissimilar to the role the queen plays in Britain and its territories. The agong’s role is largely ceremonial as although he has extensive constitutional powers he must exercise these on the advice of the cabinet. The agong must assent to the appointment of individuals for various senior government roles, including that of the prime minister.

As head of state, he is also able to issue full royal pardons – as in the case of democracy icon Anwar Ibrahim in 2018, when the former king Sultan Muhammad V wiped his record clean of multiple charges of sodomy and corruption.

Although the rulers previously had more power, in 1983 and 1993 then-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad passed constitutional amendments limiting their reach, stripping them of the ability to assent to legislation passed in parliament, removing their immunity from prosecution, and setting up a special court to prosecute them should the need arise.

Mahathir Mohamad: clipped the rulers’ wings. Photo: Bloomberg

What makes the agong a cultural institution and powerful symbol for the people is his responsibility to safeguard Islam in Muslim-majority Malaysia, a key factor behind the continued widespread support for royals among citizens – although increasingly some Malaysians have criticised the use of the colonial-era Sedition Act to quash negative public commentary about the royal institution.

Recently, the Malaysian monarchy has become more vocal about the politics of the day after the landmark 2008 general elections when the then-opposition Pakatan Rakyat won the state of Perak. After three assemblymen defected, the Perak sultan refused to allow the chief minister to dissolve the state assembly, resulting in a constitutional crisis and the state thereafter returning to government rule.