Malaysian police plan to charge ex-PM Muhyiddin over comments about king

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is expected to be charged with sedition on Tuesday for allegedly undermining the king’s decision to appoint Anwar Ibrahim to lead the government after the 2022 general election produced a hung parliament.  

If charged, Muhyiddin, who served as prime minister between 2020 and 2021, would become the first ex-PM to be charged under the colonial-era law, which carries a sentence of up to three years and/or a maximum fine of 5,000 ringgit (U.S. $1,146). He is to appear in court in northern peninsular Kelantan state, where he will face a charge for allegedly attempting or conspiring to incite seditious tendencies.

“Tomorrow, he will be charged under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act at the Gua Musang Sessions Court,” Police Inspector-General Razaruddin Husain told BenarNews in a brief text message. 

The controversy centers around remarks that Muhyiddin made on Aug. 14 while campaigning for his Perikatan Nasional coalition ahead of a by-election in Nenggiri, Kelantan.

During the speech, which was live-streamed on his official Facebook account, Muhyiddin claimed that he had secured the support of a majority of MPs following the 2022 national polls, giving him what he believed was a legitimate claim to the premiership.

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Despite this assertion, Muhyiddin said he “was not invited to the palace to be sworn in” by Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, then Malaysia’s king who endorsed Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s next prime minister. 

“At that time, I had the support of 115 MPs. There are 222 parliamentary seats. If you divide that by two, you get 111. If you have one more than that, you can form a government. But I had 115,” Muhyiddin said.

“Based on the constitutional calculations, I had more than enough to become prime minister. I’m not trying to dwell on it, but this is a matter of historical record,” he added. “Yet, for some reason, the king at that time didn’t invite me to the palace to be sworn in.” 

Royal rebuke

Muhyiddin’s comments implying the monarch had acted unjustly, drew a sharp rebuke from the royal family.

In a statement released last week, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, the crown prince of Pahang, accused Muhyiddin of manipulating facts and undermining public confidence in the Malay rulers.

“His statement also appears immature, as if he still cannot accept that he was not appointed as the prime minister,” said Tengku Hassanal, the son of Sultan Abdullah, adding that Muhyiddin’s remarks were not only misleading, but also intended to divide the people.

In the 2022 polls, Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional coalition, which champions ethnic Malay supremacy and includes Bersatu and the conservative Parti Islam Malaysia (PAS), won 74 seats.

On Aug. 21, Muhyiddin handed over to police what he said were statutory declarations from lawmakers who supported his 2022 bid for prime minister after he was questioned over a campaign speech. He insisted that his loyalty to the constitutional monarchy should not be in doubt. 

“As an ordinary citizen, I take shelter under the greatness and nobility of the Malay rulers,” Muhyiddin said in a statement.

Just days after the Pahang’s palace rebuke, the Perikatan Nasional’s Pahang chapter, led by PAS, called for a police investigation into Muhyiddin.

Analysts have said his remarks could undermine the coalition’s image as a bastion of supremacy for Malays, the country’s racial majority. 

James Chin, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania, said Muhyiddin had inflicted the situation on himself and that authorities had little choice but to take legal action after the royal family’s intervention.

“This one is due to pressure from the palace,” Chin said.

Calls for Najib freedom

Meanwhile, during last week’s United Malays National Organization convention, party members called for the release of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is serving a reduced six-year sentence following his conviction on charges linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

Party leaders and members alike expressed concern – UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi recited a poem dedicated to Najib on the last day of the convention. Zahid served as deputy prime minister for Najib, who fell from power after his coalition lost the 2018 election.

Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, the UMNO secretary-general, announced that 42% of the written motions during the convention had urged the leadership to secure a full pardon for Najib.

Analysts, meanwhile, said the push could create friction within Malaysia’s fragile ruling coalition, as Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan has consistently opposed Najib’s leadership and the corruption associated with the 1MDB scandal. U.S. prosecutors alleged that at least $4.5 billion (18.8 billion ringgit) was stolen from 1MDB, the state development fund set up by Najib.