Mahathir warns king Covid-19 emergency order is turning Malays against him

Malaysia’s former leader delivers petition with 39,000 signatures to the palace as he warns emergency powers for Prime Minister Muhyiddin have turned country into a dictatorship

Sultan Abdullah also faces scrutiny for claims he had a role in distributing Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines, while Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah has come under fire on Instagram

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Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad says the Covid-19 emergency order has turned the country into a ‘dictatorship’. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:26pm, 20 Apr 2021Updated: 9:57pm, 20 Apr 2021

Malaysia’s former leader Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday urged the country’s king to revoke a Covid-19 state of emergency, saying the royal order – made in January on the advice of the government – was uncharacteristically turning the country’s Malays against its royal families.

The emergency powers granted to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and the suspension of parliament had transformed the country into a “dictatorship”, the 95-year-old said.

He was speaking to reporters after delivering a petition to the national palace that contained some 39,000 signatures.

The elder statesman’s remarks also follow a wave of veiled criticism of the country’s queen, Tunku Azizah Aminah, after she seemingly responded in a flippant manner to a commenter on Instagram.

The king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, is also under the spotlight following a media report that claimed – based on unnamed sources – that he played a role in the domestic distribution of a small batch of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines, which are yet to be approved in Malaysia.

Malaysia’s king, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, with Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah. Photo: AFP

The controversies come amid a surge in Covid-19 cases and as Muhyiddin’s government struggles to inject a sense of urgency into its vaccination drive.