Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin Becomes Cornered After King Rejects His Proposal For COVID-19 Emergency

Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin (Twitter / @ MuhyiddinYassin)

JAKARTA - Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah rejected Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Muhyiddin Yassin's request to declare a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Sultan Abdullah thought that an emergency was unnecessary.

The rejection of Sultan Abdullah was a major setback for Muhyiddin, who is facing a leadership challenge from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Muhyiddin's government itself did not believe it. And Anwar Ibrahim recently claimed to have majority support in parliament.

Critics slammed Muhyiddin's proposal for a state of emergency as an attempt to maintain his grip on power as it would help him avoid potential clashes in parliament. The increasing number of COVID-19 cases and the economy hit by the pandemic are also adding to the woes.

"Al-Sultan Abdullah is of the opinion that at this time His Majesty does not need to declare a state of emergency in the country or in any part of Malaysia," said a statement from the palace.

"His Excellency is confident in the ability of the government under the leadership of the prime minister to continue to implement policies and law enforcement efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic."

In addition, Sultan Abdullah also called on politicians to end politics that could destabilize the government. Sultan Abdullah also said that he should highlight the importance of the upcoming budget, which the government has scheduled for November 6.

Muhyiddin's failure to win DPR approval of the budget will result in a vote of no confidence in him, which in turn could trigger an election. Muhyiddin said the cabinet would discuss the king's rejection of his request.

"I am grateful for Your Excellency's trust in the government under my leadership and welcome advice that the stability of the government should not be affected," he said in a statement.

Muhyiddin has been in a precarious position since he took office as Malaysia's PM from March with a two-seat majority. Last month, Anwar Ibrahim said that with the help of government defectors, he had a parliamentary majority to form a new government.

The king's refusal at the prime minister's request was unusual but constitutional, analysts and lawyers said. Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy in which the king takes on a ceremonial role. Under the constitution, the king performs his duties with advice from the prime minister and the cabinet. It also gives him the right to decide whether a state of emergency should be declared or not, based on a threat to security, the economy or public order.

New Sin Yew, a constitutional lawyer, said that if Muhyiddin officially advised the king to declare a state of emergency, the king would be obliged to comply. However, a palace statement said the PM had sent a "request" to the king.

"So today, what the king is doing is warning against such a proposal, which is entirely his right to do so," said New Sin Yew.