Pahang royals angered by Muhyiddin's claim of ex-Agong's bias

• UPDATED 4PM | Added that the Pahang palace lodged a police report over the matter last night.

The Pahang crown prince has called for the police to act decisively against former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who has been accused of belittling the Pahang sultan’s role as the previous Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah said he was irked by the Perikatan Nasional chairperson manipulating facts to claim that Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah was biased when appointing the prime minister following the 15th general election.

“I express my anger and aggravation at the actions of Muhyiddin, who deliberately and cynically belittled and disputed the duties of Sultan Abdullah.

“Muhyiddin’s statement also seems immature, as if he still cannot accept that he was not appointed prime minister.

“This statement issued is also very dangerous because it openly incites the people to lose faith in the institution of Malay rulers and divides the people,” the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang said in a statement issued by Istana Abdulaziz, Kuantan, today.

Palace lodges report

The private secretary to the crown prince Amir Syafiq Hamzah made a police report at the Kuantan police station last night over the matter.

According to him, Muhyiddin’s statement is dangerous because it openly incites the people to lose faith in the Malay rulers and divides the people.

“It is also slanderous and inflammatory and touches on 3R issues. The statement clearly affects the good name of the sultan of Pahang Sultan Abdullah.

“Because of that I came forward to make a report to enable fair, firm and uncompromising action to be taken against Muhyiddin,” he said.

“In the excerpt of the speech, he (Muhyiddin) seemed to state that Sultan Abdullah failed to respect the Federal Constitution because he did not appoint him as prime minister.

“So, this statement is cynical, manipulates the facts and brings a negative narrative to the people that Sultan Abdullah (in his capacity as the Yang-di Pertuan Agong at that time) seemed to be unfair when choosing the prime minister whereas the appointment was made carefully and in accordance with the constitution," he added.

Sultan exercised discretion with prudence

Tengku Hassanal cited Article 40(2) of the Federal Constitution which states the prime minister is appointed at the discretion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who acts as the head of state.

Article 43(2) stipulates that the prime minister must be appointed from among the members of the Dewan Rakyat who, in the king’s opinion, can command the confidence of the majority of the members of the house.

Nevertheless, Tengku Hassanal said that his father did not arbitrarily decide to appoint the prime minister even though the Constitution gave him absolute power.

“His Majesty at that time had consulted constitutional experts, the country’s top public servants, and the Council of Malay Rulers before finally appointing the prime minister.

“Parliament had also approved a vote of confidence in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Dec 19, 2022. Accordingly, the result of the vote is clear and in line with the consideration of Sultan Abdullah when he chose Anwar as prime minister.

“Therefore, I want the police to take decisive action without compromise against Muhyiddin who deliberately touched the sentiments of the 3Rs (royalty, religion, and race),” said Tengku Hassanal.

The Pahang royal also advised all politicians, as leaders of the people, to prioritise unity and stick to the Rukun Negara principles.

Meanwhile, Tengku Ampuan Pahang Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah told a social media user to show Sultan Abdullah some respect.

“Please respect my husband, my king,” she said while replying to a netizen who commented on a Facebook post of Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.

Earlier, Wan Rosdy also expressed disappointment and disgust with Muhyiddin’s speech, made while campaigning during the recent Nenggiri by-election.

‘I had more than enough numbers’

A video of Muhyiddin’s Aug 15 speech during the Nenggiri by-election campaign in Felda Perasu, Kelantan, went viral on social media.

Between minutes 49 and 52 of the video, the Bersatu president claimed that he had the support of 115 MPs to form the government but was thwarted by Sultan Abdullah. 

“According to the Federal Constitution, I had more than enough numbers to become the prime minister.

“It’s not that I want to bring up the past but it is recorded history.

“But I don’t know how… the Agong back then didn’t invite me to the palace to get sworn in. Who was the previous Agong? It’s (from) Pahang lah,” Muhyiddin was reported as saying, referring to Sultan Abdullah.

It is worth noting that while the Pahang ruler had offered Muhyiddin an opportunity to form a coalition government with the Anwar-led Pakatan Harapan, the Pagoh MP rejected it outright.

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