There must be consensus between the rulers and Parliament before any new law or policy can be put in place, says former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“A distribution of power between the two parties (the rulers and Parliament) is safer than absolute authority,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Mahathir was commenting on a proposal by the Johor ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Petronas to report directly to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Sultan Ibrahim told Singapore’s Sunday Times he would use his authority to “hunt” corrupt people. He said if the MACC fell under the King’s purview, it would not be subject to “the influence of anybody from the executive”.
Sultan Ibrahim will ascend to the throne as the country’s 17th Yang-di Pertuan Agong next year.
Mahathir said that Sultan Ibrahim’s statement should not be viewed “lightly”.
“Although such authority is not stipulated in the constitution, the desires of the Johor sultan, if realised, will raise several important questions revolving around the role of the Malay rulers as constitutional monarchs.”
Mahathir said the Federal Constitution and state constitution had outlined in detail the role, responsibilities and the jurisdiction of the King and each state ruler.
Source : FMT
The Coverage Malaysia
