So is royal influence okay now, Pakatan Rakyat?
It is with no small amount of amusement that I watch the ping-pong match between politicos from both sides of the political aisle continue in the media, this time when it comes to the so-called royal ‘reprimand’ over the federal government’s tardiness in 1MDB investigations.
A statement was released by the Council of Malay Rulers recently, urging the government to take speedy action on the 1MDB scandal, worrying that if prolonged, it may have negative impact on the country, the economy and the rakyat.
The same royal missive also called upon the powers that be and institutions of law enforcement and governance to be steadfast, transparent and proper, so as to be accountable to both God and the trust of the people.
Predictably, the opposition politicians suddenly jumped on the royal bandwagon and praised the assertiveness of the Malay rulers, expressing their undying loyalty to the wisdom of the unelected rulers, who are appointed based purely on bloodline.
This belies their colder reception to other times when royal attention and intervention had been fixed upon political developments to their detriment, namely the Perak coup and the Selangor MB crisis.
Some of the legal experts in their ranks even questioned the extent that the constitution would permit for royal hands to whisk into issues of executive governance, though admitting that the power of rule over the state is invested in their royal persons by the same document.
In any case it is quite entertaining to see the Opposition now having no qualms about welcoming royal intervention, when once they had been quite wary of it.
So is it okay now to have royal intervention, Pakatan?
Similarly, Umno which once would immediately jump up and down with their “Daulat Tuanku” to receive any royal proclamation from the palace, has sidestepped a bit and performed the ignore shuffle, and at best deflecting the royal scowl given their way.
And when once they would trumpet any royal opinions that benefit them to the high heavens, they are now quietly sitting by twiddling their thumbs pretending that they did not hear it, as the usual yes-men begin to defray the royal statement, diplomatically.
In Umno’s case, the question for them is, so they can ignore royal views when it does not benefit you, is it?
Thus perhaps the hypocrisy from politicians on both sides of the partisan divide is exposed. For the Opposition, this is their time to ride the royal lightning while for the Umno politicians, now is the time when ignorance is bliss.
I guess this is the thing about politics, nothing is sacred, no one is sacrosanct, whatever and whomever will be used when it furthers their own interests, and they have no qualms about doing the opposite when it is to their benefit.
