Malaysia charges ex-PM Muhyiddin over alleged royal insult
The Former Malaysian leader Muhyiddin charged with sedition for allegedly mocking former king
Malaysia has brought sedition charges against opposition leader and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for allegedly insulting the country's former king in a political speech on August 15.
In his speech , Muhyiddin had questioned why then-King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah didn’t invite him to be prime minister following a hung Parliament in November 2022. Muhyiddin had claimed he had the backing of majority lawmakers.
Muhyiddin’s Islamic nationalistic bloc received stronger-than-expected support from Malays, who account for two-thirds of Malaysia’s 34 million people. Sultan Abdullah appointed then-opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister after Anwar cobbled up support from rival parties to form a unity government.
Sultan Abdullah from central Pahang state, who ended his reign on Jan. 30 this year, didn’t comment on the case. But his son issued a strong rebuke to Muhyiddin, saying his remarks were dangerous and could divide the people and undermine the royal institution.
Muhyiddin was questioned by police following complaints against him. He had denied insulting the royalty, saying his remarks were factual and that he had handed in sworn oath of support by 115 lawmakers in the 222-member parliament.
Zaid Malek from Lawyers for Liberty, a human rights and law reform group, slammed the use of the colonial-era Sedition Act against Muhyiddin. He said questioning or criticizing the exercise of constitutional power by the king wasn’t seditious.
Muhydiddin, who governed the country between 2020 and 2021 and leads Malaysia's conservative, Malay-centric opposition bloc, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Remarks seen as denigrating the country's largely ceremonial and highly revered royalty can be prosecuted under a Sedition Act stemming from the colonial era.
Under Malaysia's unique form of monarchy, nine sultans take turns on the royal throne every five years terms under the country’s rotating monarchy, which began when Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The monarchy plays a largely ceremonial role, but are revered by the nation’s majority Muslims.
Muhyiddin is already facing corruption and money laundering charges in a separate case filed against him last year that the 77-year-old has called politically motivated.
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