Twentytwo13

Pahang Crown Prince Tengku Hassanal calls for action against Muhyiddin for controversial 3R statements

Pahang Crown Prince Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah has expressed dismay with former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for disputing the duties and role of Pahang ruler, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, during his tenure as Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Al-Sultan Abdullah served as Malaysia’s 16th King from 2019, to earlier this year.

Tengku Hassanal said Muhyiddin’s statement manipulated facts and presented a negative narrative, implying that Al-Sultan Abdullah was unfair when choosing the nation’s 10th prime minister.

“His statement was immature. It is as though he cannot accept that he wasn’t appointed prime minister,” said Tengku Hassanal, in a statement issued by Istana Abdulaziz, Kuantan, Pahang.

“Muhyiddin’s statement is also dangerous because it openly incites the public to lose faith in the institution of Malay Rulers, and divides the people.”

It was reported that during his speech at a ceramah during the recent Nenggiri by-election, Muhyiddin claimed that he was not invited by Al-Sultan Abdullah to be sworn in as prime minister, despite claiming to have had the numbers to form the government after the 15th General Election.

Article 40(2) of the Federal Constitution states that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, as the Head of State, has the discretion to appoint the prime minister.

Meanwhile, Article 43(2) stipulates that the prime minister must be appointed from among the members of the Dewan Rakyat, who, in the Agong’s opinion, has the confidence of the majority of the members of the House.

There was no clear winner in Malaysia’s 15th General Election on Nov 19, 2022, with Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional, and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan coalitions failing to achieve a simple majority of 112 seats in Parliament.

Al-Sultan Abdullah then suggested that the political parties formed a ‘Unity Government’, a proposal which Muhyiddin, president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), rejected.

Tengku Hassanal emphasised that Al-Sultan Abdullah did not unilaterally decide to appoint the prime minister, even though the Constitution allowed him to do so.

He explained that Al-Sultan Abdullah met with the elected Members of Parliament to ascertain if Anwar, or Muhyiddin, had the support of the majority, and also consulted with constitutional experts and the country’s top civil servants.

“More importantly, Al-Sultan Abdullah sought the views of the Council of Rulers before appointing Anwar prime minister,” he said in his statement, adding that Parliament passed a vote of confidence in Anwar as prime minister on Dec 19, 2022.

“The result of the vote of confidence is clear, and aligns with Al-Sultan Abdullah’s considerations when he chose Anwar as prime minister,” said Tengku Hassanal.

Tengku Hassanal urged the police to take action against Muhyiddin for deliberately touching on the sentiments of race, religion, and royalty (3R).

“I advise all politicians to adhere to the principles of the Rukun Negara, and to continuously unite the people so that Malaysia, as a multi-ethnic country, can become a developed nation,” he said.

Last night, Bernama reported that Muhyiddin would be called in by police for questioning, tomorrow.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said police had received 29 reports on the matter.