The “Constitutional Crisis”: the winners and the losers
In other words, no more talk of a motion of no confidence against Muhyiddin and about sabotaging Budget 2021, and talk of PM9 taking over or the dissolution of Parliament to make way for a snap GE15. In essence, that was what the statement from Istana Negara was all about.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Sunday’s decision by the Conference of Rulers that Malaysia does not need a state of emergency to be declared is being viewed differently by different people.
Of course, the anti-Muhyiddin Yassin group, both within the government and in the opposition, are gloating and view this as a defeat or humiliation for the Prime Minister. That would be natural.
And they want the heads of Azmin Ali and Hamzah Zainudin for what they call a “Constitutional Crisis” fiasco.
Anwar was essentially told off by the Rulers
The pro-Muhyiddin people, however, are devastated. According to what they are saying, on Wednesday, His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong had agreed to a declaration of emergency and Friday’s audience in Kuantan, after the Cabinet meeting, was just a formality.
Then, on Saturday, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, followed by Anwar Ibrahim, met His Highness the Sultan of Perak to inform His Highness that the new plan was, if the motion of no confidence passes in Parliament, Tengku Razaleigh will take over as PM9 with Anwar as DPM, and that the top Umno leaders have agreed to support this plan.
The Agong and his brother Rulers played their cards close to their chest and no one suspected what they were going to do. In fact, most people assumed the Agong and the Conference of Rulers would just go along with what the Prime Minister wanted (since the Rulers really had no power and were just “rubber stamps”).
But then maybe these people were thinking of the Merdeka-era Rulers, the fathers and grandfathers of the current crop of Rulers. Those were the Rulers of 30, 40 or 50 years ago. The Rulers of today are cut from different cloth.
For almost seven months, the Rulers, in particular His Majesty the Agong, suffered non-stop abuse from the Pakatan Harapan people, in particular from the non-Malays. These anti-monarchists said very nasty things about the Rulers and said it is time Malaysia followed Thailand — meaning organise anti-monarchy protests and demonstrations.
Yesterday, the Raja-Raja Melayu showed the politicians who are the real Boss
They said the cost of maintaining the office of the Agong and the nine state Rulers is a waste of taxpayers’ money. These are leeches who eat and sleep and do nothing but just feed off the rakyat’s money, they said.
Some said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Vision 2020 or Wawasan 2020 concerns the end of the constitutional monarchy and about turning Malaysia into a republic. The fact that the monarchy is the fourth branch of government (after the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary) with some constitutional powers seems to have been ignored even by lawyers and so-called constitutional experts.
Malays say: dalam kesempitan ada kesempatan. And that was the advantage the Rulers took yesterday to prove to Malaysians that the monarchy is a not a feudal and useless relic from the past that needs to be discarded in favour of a republic.
READ MORE HERE: All The Politicking Needs To Stop!
Even the fiercest critics of the Raja-Raja Melayu — DAP and the non-Malays — are breathing a sigh of relief and are singing the praises of His Majesty the Agong and the Conference of Rulers. They now see that not only does the monarchy have some constitutional powers after all but they play an important role of checks and balances and are the protector of Malaysia’s democracy and civil liberties.
Mat Sabu said, when elephants fight elephants, the grass gets trampled. However, the Rulers are there to help save the grass from being trampled into the mud when Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional fight and Malaysians get trampled.
Of course, I am not looking at these events through Perikatan Nasional or Pakatan Harapan lenses. I am looking at this through the eyes of a royalist or pro-monarchist. And I can see how, yesterday, the Rulers have silenced the republicans once and for all.
Suddenly, the Monarchy is no longer useless. Suddenly, the Rulers have saved democracy. Suddenly, the Rulers are wise and have made a good decision for the benefit of the rakyat. Suddenly, thank God we have a monarchy.
So, in this “Constitutional Crisis”, who are the winners and the losers? I would say the winners are the rakyat and the institution of the monarchy while the losers are the politicians from all sides of the divide.
After turning down the request for the declaration of an emergency, the Rulers asked the politicians to stand down and stop their nonsense and let Muhyiddin get on with his job
But what seems to have been overlooked by many is that part in the official statement from Istana Negara that tells the politicians to stand down and stop all their nonsense. Leave Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin alone and stop this plot of trying to bring down the government. Let Muhyiddin get on with the job of managing the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic and let him sort out the economy that has suffered because of Covid-19.
In other words, no more talk of a motion of no confidence against Muhyiddin and about sabotaging Budget 2021, and talk of PM9 taking over or the dissolution of Parliament to make way for a snap GE15. In essence, that was what the statement from Istana Negara was all about.
By the way, this was what Matthias Chang said about the matter:
“In fact, in one master stroke, the Agong and the Rulers have changed the Constitutional Equation FOREVER and protected the same from coup plotters. The Constitutional Monarchy has achieved more in one day, by one statement, that all the politicians ever did in sixty years. The Rulers have restored the DIGNITY of the Rulers in the Constitution, and the same as the irrefutable SUPREME LAW. Brilliant. Checkmate on coup plotters. Either way, the decision of the Agong and Rulers have buried them. Will the coup plotters put the rakyat FIRST??? No. Too addicted to power. HIS MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT STILL PREVAILS.”
