News of Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim seeking audiences with Malay Rulers from all over the country has raised a lot of questions among Malaysians, leaving many of us wondering what the purpose of his visits were.
In a report by the New Straits Times, Anwar explained that his meetings were in efforts to assure them that the new government will uphold the federal constitution. The PKR de facto leader was quoted by the daily as saying,
“I told them not to worry because the government was not under DAP, and there were no attempts to eliminate the power of the rulers.”
Source: FMT
Former New Straits Times editor-in-chief, A Kadir Jasin, who is also the head of media and communication on the Council of Eminent Persons (CoE), recently wrote in a blog post (which he clarified does not represent the opinions of the CoE) about Anwar’s meetings with the Rulers.
In response to Anwar’s statement, Jasin pointed out that the PKR de facto leader actually had an important role despite not holding any official post in the government. He writes,
“The Rulers, according to the report-upon-report, have a testy relationship with the PM. If the report is worth anything, my take on it is this: While Dr Mahathir runs the country as the Prime Minister, Anwar appears to be acting or behaving like a political commissar. In the communist system, a political commissar is many times more powerful than a battalion of soldiers.”
Source: The Malaysian Times
Meanwhile, he also added that despite reports of Anwar reassuring the Rulers, they actually don’t require any assurance to begin with. An excerpt from his blog post explains,
“I wouldn’t dare say that the Rulers are so insecure these days about their position that they need to be assured and comforted.”
“On the contrary, I think the Rulers are as confident and assured as ever before. Why shouldn’t they? They are guaranteed by the Constitution, lavishly provided for, wealthy and even Anwar kissed their hands!”
Adding to his point, Jasin claimed that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had been allocated RM256.9 million for the past 16 months until April 2018, and this staggering amount covered “accommodation, residence and palace, personal items, aircraft and transportation, training and escort equipment, clothing and ceremonial items, gifts and souvenirs, overseas visits, and salaries of palace staff.”
Source: The Sun Daily
He added that an amendment in the constitution back in 1993 actually helped better secure the immunity of the Rulers, and they are protected from prosecution and liability, and even if they do end up being prosecuted over specific crimes, they won’t be tried in an ordinary court of law. Jasin ended his post saying,
“In conclusion, our constitutional monarch has nothing to fear if they understand their special position and stick to their duties as spelt out by the Constitution.”
Well, what do you think of Jasin’s perspective? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: Anwar: “Agong Offered Wan Azizah to Become PM, But She Declined”
