SULTAN OF THE PEOPLE?
by Dr Rafick
25/09/09
I received a call last night from a retired Army General of the Royal Malay Regiment raising his concern after watching some shocking news coming from the Sultan of Pahang which was shown on TV. His phone call led me to browse through the online Mainstream Media (MSM) and the online alternative media. It was abuzz with the news that the Sultan of Pahang had called upon the people to continue to support the BN government while officiating the opening of a bridge in Pahang.
I was equally shocked to hear what was uttered by HRH Sultan. In my mind, HRH has overstepped his professional, Royal and legal boundaries. His act of crossing these boundaries worries me as it might lead to bigger things in this country especially after the action of the Sultan of Perak and the King (Sultan of Terengganu) in handling the Perak and Terengganu constitutional crises respectively.
The law is very clear on the role of a Sultan. His role includes the appointment of MB’s as well as the religious head of the state. He is to remain neutral for the sake of the Rakyat. They used to be completely immune from prosecution until Tun Mahathir changed the laws. He has to be non-partisan and must make an effort to ensure that he remains neutral in all aspects of governance. When the Sultan makes a statement supporting a particular political party, it creates ill feeling among the Rakyat.
[Read the rest of Dr Rafick's clearheaded essay here.]
Dr Rafick, you're a wise old owl and I appreciate your guts in pointing out where the Sultan of Pahang has overstepped the bounds of royal decorum in urging people to vote Barasan Najis. Will he be appearing in ads next for airlines, casinos, and resorts? The Sultan of Perak stopped short of publicly endorsing Najib and Umno - but his refusal to dissolve the Perak state assembly in accordance with the request of the rightful mentri besar, Nizar Jamaluddin, certainly speaks volumes.
