His Majesty the Agong is under house arrest

By MT Webmaster Last updated May 27, 2016

Yes, we know why His Majesty the Agong was placed under house arrest in November 1999. And now, again, the Agong is under house arrest, according to Mahathir. We cannot allow that to happen a second time. The military must take action. And if it does not then the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the Agong, must sack the Chief of the Armed Forces.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

“We have got 1.4 million signatures, and we’ve been trying to show them to the Agong. But as of now I’ve not been able to meet the Agong because it’s likely that he’s under house arrest. The rulers may be confined to their palaces,” said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as reported by Malaysiakini and Malaysia Chronicle yesterday.

Free Malaysia Today, on the other hand, reported as follows: “At the moment, I believe even the rulers are under house arrest. I’ve been trying to see them to show the declaration by the people, but so far I can’t get an appointment.”

Those are extremely serious allegations indeed. Dr Mahathir is accusing the government of detaining His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and of placing His Majesty under house arrest. If this is true then many Malays would rise up in anger and will storm the Prime Minister’s office in Putrajaya and burn it to the ground.

In fact, considering that His Majesty the Agong is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, why is the military keeping quiet and not taking action? The army should be out on the streets searching for His Majesty the Agong and if it is true, as Mahathir says, that the Agong is under house arrest, then the army should rescue the Agong and arrest the Prime Minister.

In accordance with Article 41 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the Supreme Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces. As such, he is the highest-ranking officer in the military, with the power to appoint the Armed Forces Chief. He also appoints the service heads of each of the three branches of the military.

So, if the Agong is under house arrest, then these are grounds enough for the military to launch a military coup, declare martial law, and suspend Parliament. Only once the Agong’s safety and freedom can be assured should the civil government be restored.

The house arrest of the Agong must never be tolerated and the military must not allow this. If this is how a civil government does things then we need a military government that can show proper respect to the Rulers instead. Why must the Rulers be made pawns in the internal power struggle in Umno?

I urge the Malays and the military to rise up and do something. Maybe it is time to install an Islamic State with the Agong as the Caliph and the military as the defender and protector of the State and the Monarchy.

This is not the first time this is happening. In November 1999, Mahathir, who was then the Prime Minister, put His Majesty the Agong under house arrest in Langkawi.

I have, in fact, written about this before a number of times. Mahathir sent the Agong to Langkawi under guard and instructed that no one, not even his own children, the Sultan of Selangor included, was to have access to the Agong until after the 29 November 1999 general election.

When I was not allowed access to the Agong, who was my uncle, I wrote an official letter and hand-delivered it to Istana Negara. Within two hours I received a reply saying that no one was allowed to see the Agong until after 29 November 1999, with no reason given.

But most of us knew the reason. Mahathir was worried that he might lose the 29 November 1999 general election and that Barisan Alternatif might take over. But for Barisan Alternatif to take over they must first get sworn in before the Agong. So, if no one could get access to the Agong, then it would be impossible for Barisan Alternatif to get sworn in as the government even if they won more seats in Parliament than Barisan Nasional or Umno.

Raja Petra Kamarudin RPK