Agong’s check and balance powers must be restored
Salleh Said Keruak says Parliament must restore a function they destroyed in the 1990s so the Agong can be trustee and protector of the Constitution again.
(Free Malaysia Today) – Parliament must restore the powers that the Agong originally had prior to the 1990s to provide a check and balance to Parliament, said Salleh Said Keruak yesterday.
In a blog posting, the Sabah State Speaker explained that unlike the United Kingdom, whose monarchy was “mainly ceremonial in nature”, Malaysia’s plays the role of check and balance to Parliament.
“The Monarchy checks and balances Parliament and makes sure that Parliament does not violate the Constitution or any of the Malaysian laws,” he said, explaining that it was very likely the most democratic system in history.
He said the Agong did not have absolute powers since he was not an absolute monarch and explained, “Above the Agong is the Conference of Rulers that discusses various issues affecting the country, religion being just one of them but not the only one.”
He said they also decided matters based on what the Federal Constitution allowed and disallowed but that in the 1990s this function was destroyed when Parliament passed a law that no longer made it necessary for the Agong to sign any laws.
