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Royalty flexing muscle as Putrajaya seen weak
The “initiative” by the Johor Sultan to be involved in the state's new property board is just the latest example of muscle-flexing by Malaysia's royal households which no longer hold any fear for the centre, or precisely for the prime minister.
Previously, other rulers have also used their discretion to choose their own menteris besar in defiance of a Barisan Nasional (BN) prime minister, who had indicated his own choice.
Today, the PM is seen as weak, indecisive and unable to use his small pool of goodwill to confront the sultans on their decisions or their growing influence in state administration that new laws are being proposed to formalise their power.
But it was different during the Mahathir era. In 1993, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's government sought to curtail the legal immunity of the sultans after two assault incidents.
And just two years into power in 1983, Dr Mahathir even pushed through a new law that parliament can override the King's veto that forever changed the country's three-step law approval process.
In effect, Dr Mahathir tightened and clarified what constitutional monarchy meant for Malaysia. Yet, within two decades, the royals are fighting back to reclaim some of their powers and influence over the state administration.
The country's longest-serving prime minister weighed in on the matter yesterday, saying “of late there has been a tendency to ignore the constitution and to effectively change it by other means”.
“The Constitution can be changed but there are procedures for doing this. Nobody can change it on his own. States cannot change it nor can rulers without the approval of the Federal Parliament and the Federal Government.
“If the Constitution is ignored by anyone, others will follow suit. The Constitution is the basic law of the country. When a precedent is established, it will become a base for other changes,” he wrote in his popular blog.
Dr Mahathir (pic) said such constitutional changes could lead to more disrespect for the royals and the Malays might forego their culture and support for the Malay royalty if the situation gets out of hand, in an oblique reference to the Johor situation.
This is vintage Dr Mahathir, taking a matter head-on even a decade after stepping down from power. But the powers-that-be are silent, even pushing for the law that allows the ruler to have some say over matters.
Perhaps the rulers know that BN needs them more than ever these days at a time of shrinking electoral majorities. Even the opposition has made inroads in Johor, the birthplace of Umno.
So BN needs to pander to the royals, while trying to get the people’s support back for the next general elections. But would this be at the expense of what Malaysia is, a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy?
The Johor "initiative", if passed, could well dump the 1983 and 1993 amendments down the drain. And only because Putrajaya appears powerless to stop it. – June 7, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/...e-as-putrajaya-seen-weak#sthash.yB7fEcrO.dpuf
The “initiative” by the Johor Sultan to be involved in the state's new property board is just the latest example of muscle-flexing by Malaysia's royal households which no longer hold any fear for the centre, or precisely for the prime minister.
Previously, other rulers have also used their discretion to choose their own menteris besar in defiance of a Barisan Nasional (BN) prime minister, who had indicated his own choice.
Today, the PM is seen as weak, indecisive and unable to use his small pool of goodwill to confront the sultans on their decisions or their growing influence in state administration that new laws are being proposed to formalise their power.
But it was different during the Mahathir era. In 1993, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's government sought to curtail the legal immunity of the sultans after two assault incidents.
And just two years into power in 1983, Dr Mahathir even pushed through a new law that parliament can override the King's veto that forever changed the country's three-step law approval process.
In effect, Dr Mahathir tightened and clarified what constitutional monarchy meant for Malaysia. Yet, within two decades, the royals are fighting back to reclaim some of their powers and influence over the state administration.
The country's longest-serving prime minister weighed in on the matter yesterday, saying “of late there has been a tendency to ignore the constitution and to effectively change it by other means”.
“The Constitution can be changed but there are procedures for doing this. Nobody can change it on his own. States cannot change it nor can rulers without the approval of the Federal Parliament and the Federal Government.
“If the Constitution is ignored by anyone, others will follow suit. The Constitution is the basic law of the country. When a precedent is established, it will become a base for other changes,” he wrote in his popular blog.
Dr Mahathir (pic) said such constitutional changes could lead to more disrespect for the royals and the Malays might forego their culture and support for the Malay royalty if the situation gets out of hand, in an oblique reference to the Johor situation.
This is vintage Dr Mahathir, taking a matter head-on even a decade after stepping down from power. But the powers-that-be are silent, even pushing for the law that allows the ruler to have some say over matters.
Perhaps the rulers know that BN needs them more than ever these days at a time of shrinking electoral majorities. Even the opposition has made inroads in Johor, the birthplace of Umno.
So BN needs to pander to the royals, while trying to get the people’s support back for the next general elections. But would this be at the expense of what Malaysia is, a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy?
The Johor "initiative", if passed, could well dump the 1983 and 1993 amendments down the drain. And only because Putrajaya appears powerless to stop it. – June 7, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/...e-as-putrajaya-seen-weak#sthash.yB7fEcrO.dpuf
