“There are 222 of you in parliament. There are over 30 million [Malaysians] outside. I’m not with you, I’m with them,” the ruler said as a warning to the country’s lawmakers in an interview with Singapore’s The Straits Times newspaper published in December.

The enduring rivalries of various political factions threaten to undercut the economic and social policy plans of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s year-old government, political watchers say, and the premier may benefit from the ballast only the top royal can give.

“Political reality over the last five years or so has led to the expansion of the role of the monarch,” said Adib Zalkapli, a Malaysia director with political risk consultancy BowerGroupAsia.

“When democratically elected leaders failed, the Agong played the role of defender of Malaysia’s democracy,” Adib said, using the official Malay title of the king. “So the institution of the Yang DiPertuan Agong will continue to evolve and its role will continue to be shaped by political reality.”

Sultan Ibrahim even suggested that the MACC report to the king, instead of parliament, to address allegations of political pressure on and abuse of power in getting the anti-corruption agency to pursue cases against Malaysia’s elites, according to his Straits Times interview.

Sultan Ibrahim enjoyed a reputation as a hands-on ruler. Since he was crowned as Sultan of Johor in 2015, he has been known to ask chief ministers to appraise him of any major decision before the state government proceeds with its plans.

Social issues also catch his attention. In 2017, he lashed out at the owner of a laundromat in Johor for imposing a Muslim-only restriction on his clientele, saying that their behaviour was “not the Johor we want”.

“This is not a Taliban state and as the head of Islam in Johor, I find this action to be totally unacceptable as this is extremist in nature,” Sultan Ibrahim was quoted as saying by local news reports.

Analysts say the new king’s keen interest in governance and issues affecting the public is likely to keep Prime Minister Anwar and his administration on their toes.

“Sultan Ibrahim has been consistent in setting expectations on his reign; even as the Johor sultan, he has been historically vocal on issues either at state or federal level,” said Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, a director with corporate advisory firm Vriens & Partners.

11:20

The legacy of Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal on politics and corruption-fighting

The legacy of Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal on politics and corruption-fighting

Yet his power is limited by constitution and political convention.

Malaysia’s monarch plays a largely ceremonial role, though the federal constitution affords some discretionary power when it comes to matters related to Islam and customs of the ethnic-Malay majority.

Recent political shenanigans, however, provided another avenue where the king can exercise his power – the selection of prime minister.

The federal constitution states that a prime minister can only be appointed after securing the king’s consent.

Past administrations with clear parliamentary majorities had faced little trouble getting their prime ministerial candidates approved over most of Malaysia’s 66-year history.

This all changed following a 2020 political coup.

Faced with competing claims of legitimacy to govern the country, outgoing King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah exercised his authority and chose the prime minister – Muhyiddin Yassin.

But Muhyiddin ended up resigning 17 months into his term after public confidence in his administration took a severe hit following a rare rebuke by the king over the government’s handling of the pandemic as it blew beyond control.

The last major act by Sultan Abdullah, whose tenure ends on Tuesday, was to appoint Anwar as prime minister last November, on condition that the latter form a unity government that included both allies and political rivals.

That followed a general election which revealed Malaysia’s deep political dividing lines, but failed to return a parliamentary majority for a single party.

Useful alliance?

Forest City has had strong backing from Sultan Ibrahim, with business activities across the project’s value chain linked to the ruler, according to a 2016 study on the project.

Sultan Ibrahim’s daughter, Tunku Tun Aminah, is a substantial shareholder of Berjaya Rail and chair of its majority shareholder, Berjaya Land.

Sultan Ibrahim’s push for the projects could place Anwar and his government in a difficult position, experts say.

More so, as Anwar’s government struggles to win support from the Malay majority, who see the king as the defender of Islam and Malay culture.

“If the government goes against his wishes, it will be seen as rebelling against the king, which is a no-no for the Malays,” said Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri, head of the International Islamic University of Malaysia’s political-science department

Government insiders, however, are more optimistic of the situation.

A senior source in Anwar’s administration said they face a steep learning curve on how to manage the new king’s expectations, but added that his penchant for speaking out on issues would also help their case.

“There are things that we in government cannot say, but the king can. If the king chooses to speak out on such issues, that would help us in a big way,” said the source, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The king is best positioned to address hot-button topics such as race relations and religious extremism, issues that could easily turn into a public relations nightmare for Anwar’s government, the source explained.

On the ground, the public appears to be hopeful that the new king will see through his promise of fighting corruption amid an ongoing crackdown.

“This is the king that we have been waiting for … all you politicians who have stolen the country’s money for a long time are finished,” read a comment by user Rizal Man to a post on Facebook.