Ripples over stripping of titles
That is the trouble with many Pakatan leaders – they do not understand how the palace works. Whether you like it or not, in states where there are royal houses, the menteri besar candidate needs the consent of the Sultan.
Joceline Tan, The Star
THE move by the Kelantan palace to revoke the Datukships of two top Parti Amanah Negara leaders from the state has sent ripples through political circles.
Amanah vice-president Husam Musa and his state chief Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Abdullah returned their titles to the palace yesterday morning after being notified by the State Secretary’s office earlier.
Even as the news of the pair’s situation sank in, speculation was swirling among state government circles that Pakatan Harapan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also been asked to return his DK (Darjah Kerabat Yang Amat Dihormati) title, the highest award in the state, which was conferred on him in 2002.
It was a powerful signal from the Kelantan palace, even though no one could quite put their finger on the exact reason for the dramatic move.
What was even more curious was the timing, coming just months before the 14th General Election.
The obvious target was Husam, who is persona non grata with the Kelantan palace because it is no secret what Sultan Muhammad V, who is also the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, thinks of Husam.
The impact on Husam and Pakatan is devastating and a setback for them in the coming polls. It also means that Pakatan’s dream to make him menteri besar of Kelantan has just gone up in smoke.
Husam may win in GE14, but it will be quite impossible for him to become menteri besar if Pakatan wins in Kelantan.
Wan Abdul Rahim said he was shocked to receive a call from the State Secretary’s office last Friday informing him that his Datukship would be revoked.
He said he was in the dark as to what could have caused the palace to do this.
“As a loyal Kelantanese, I accept what happened. It is not a new thing in Kelantan politics.
“I do not regard it as a setback for Amanah. The most important thing is the support of the people,” he said.
The incident has been the subject of intense discussion among Kelantan folk.
Some see it as a reprimand and a sign of the Sultan’s displeasure, while others regard it more seriously as a rejection by the palace.
A highly reliable source said the move may have something to do with Amanah leaders trying to draw a Kelantan royal figure, who is estranged from the palace, into the party.
This upset the palace, which saw it as a move to create cleavages in the royal house.
Husam, who won the Salor state seat in 2013 under a PAS ticket, was a senior state exco member and widely regarded as the successor to the late Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, his political mentor.
Wan Abdul Rahim: In the dark over why his title was revoked.
The first hint of trouble appeared after the 2013 general election, when the palace did not agree to Husam being reappointed as a state exco member.
Nik Aziz had no choice but to drop him from the list to avoid a palace crisis.
Things got worse for Husam after Nik Aziz died in 2015 because his protector was gone.
Husam was sidelined. He did not take it well and grew increasingly critical of the PAS government.
PAS assemblymen complained that he behaved like the Opposition during state assembly sittings.
He finally joined Amanah last year and was immediately appointed a vice-president and portrayed as Pakatan’s menteri besar candidate.
That is the trouble with many Pakatan leaders – they do not understand how the palace works. Whether you like it or not, in states where there are royal houses, the menteri besar candidate needs the consent of the Sultan.
“It is very serious, especially if you are still active in politics.
“You saw what happened when the Sultan of Terengganu revoked the Datuk Seri title of the mentri besar before it was reinstated.
“It was very awkward for everybody,” said Umno expert Dr Azmi Omar.
The revocation of Dr Mahathir’s title has yet to be officially confirmed but if it is true, then as one Kelantan government official put it: “It is a rejection of Pakatan Harapan as well as Amanah.”
Dr Mahathir is not having an easy time in his second bid to become prime minister.
Following criticism by the Selangor palace, he returned two awards last year.
The former prime minister’s relationship with the royal houses had never been sweet because of the way he tried to clip their wings when he was on top.
Dr Mahathir was not on the guest list when Sultan Muhammad V was sworn in as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Neither was he invited for the grand installation ceremony of the King.
He is also in the bad books of the Sultan of Pahang as well as the Sultan of Johor, who openly criticised him over the past year.
Pakatan thought Dr Mahathir, with his extensive experience and connections, would be their passport to what is known as the “deep state”, that body of institutions to which the opposition parties have no access.
But he is a major liability when it comes to the royal institution.
