Opinion: Why did Hassan Karim say that the New King is out of Line?
Nehru Sathiamoorthy
After hearing the Agong’s speech during the opening of the Dewan Rakyat, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim has called out the new Agong, by saying that the Agong has crossed the line.
Does Hassan Karim’s statement have any merit?
Well, to judge that, we must first see who the Agong is.
The Agong is officially called a constitutional monarch. We got our idea of creating a constitutional monarchy from the British, who used to rule us, and who have also turned their own monarchs into constitutional monarchs.
Now what does a constitutional monarchy mean?
To answer the question simply, I will illustrate it with an analogy. The role of a constitutional monarch is basically analogous to the great grandfather of a large family.
If you belong to a large multi-generational family, during New Year or Raya or Deepavali, generations of your family might congregate at your great grandfather’s house to celebrate the festivities, but just because they congregate at his house, it doesn’t mean that he is the one leading the family.
During the family dinner, it will be your great-grandfather that will be sitting at the head of the table, but just because he is the one sitting at the most important seat, it doesn’t mean that it is he that is going to be the one that is going to foot the bill.
If the occasion calls for someone to speak to your entire family, it will be your great-grandfather that will be the person that will be given the first right to address the entire family, but just because he has the first right to address the entire family, it doesn’t mean that he can order anyone in the family around.
In other words, a constitutional monarchy, like the great grandfather of a large family, is not someone we honour because of their present worth and value, but because of their contributions in the past. Today, they have a lot of prestige accorded to them, but they have next to no authority.
Their prestige comes not only from the fact that they are the most important institution in the country that links the nation to the past, but also because every segment of society in the country have a long standing relationship with them, and often, we only have a relationship with each other on account of our relationship to the king.
However, they have no authority, because today, the authority in the nation has been transferred into the hands of the people, who vest it in the hands of a government that we created by ourselves, of ourselves and for ourselves.
Once upon a time ago, the monarchy might have been a great and powerful institution, whose word was law and who’s wishes were the command of an entire nation.
Today however, while our constitutional monarchs do have some powers vested in them, for all intent and purpose, they, like the great grandfather of a large family, are expected to be a twilight institution, or an institution that is expected to gradually fade away from existence in time.
I am not just saying this just about our constitutional monarchs, by the way, I am saying this about all the constitutional monarchs in the entire world.
In all parts of the world, where the concept of constitutional monarchy remains extant, the nation that they belong to will give them all the prestige, luxury and comfort that they require, but the nation will also expect that their constitutional monarchs to gradually fade away from existence, by serving a more and more ceremonial and symbolic role with the passing of time.
