Royals step into the void as government struggles with a divided Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s monarchs have increasingly been stepping into the void in recent years especially on communal issues, casting a spotlight on whether Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s so-called unity government is able to resist populism to take a fair and principled stance while facing down public anger.

But analysts believe such interventions could set a dangerous precedent for Malaysian democracy, undermining the elected administration and elevating the acceptance of royal activism amid a climate of political uncertainty. Such calls by these constitutional monarchs – nine of Malaysia’s 13 states have hereditary Malay rulers who also rotate five-year terms as the federation’s Agong or King – have become increasingly commonplace in recent years, in parallel with their involvement in political affairs.

“The socks case saw democratically elected leaders fail to de-escalate the situation or, worse, play a leading role in stirring communal tensions. So the King had to step in to play the role of the unifying figure,” he told ST. Citing philosopher Antonio Gramsci, he likened the situation to “the old is dying and the new cannot be born”, and in that void is comfort for a primeval institution like the monarchy.

This is happening amid ebbing support from the Malay-Muslim majority for the Anwar-led government. Ms Tan, who is also RSIS deputy head of policy studies, notes how Dr Akmal has “been treated with care by the authorities” with “Anwar, in fact, feeling it necessary to point out” the Umno youth chief“Umno also appeared to be presented as the representatives of Muslims despite the recent decline in support among its Malay base,” she said.

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