2 Let's move on

Malaysia's King calls for political Stability as five-year reign ends

- Hazlin Hassan

Malaysia’s King has called for political stability at the end of his five-year reign, which saw his deep involvement in picking three prime ministers between 2020 and 2022.

The unprecedented intervention by the constitutional monarch in politics followed dizzying crossovers by MPs, after Umno-led Barisan Nasional was toppled from power in the 2018 General Election for the first time since the country’s independence in 1957.

“There were challenging times during my reign,” said Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah in a group interview on Jan 3 with selected media.

“I feel that I have tried to do the best I can to stabilise the country’s political scenario, even though not drastically, but at least to retain harmony and stability until now,” said the 64-year old King, who is also the ruler of Pahang state.

When asked about the latest purported plot to topple the government, dubbed the “Dubai Move” as its opponents allegedly met in that city, the King said: “I don’t know if there is any truth in it or not.

“Let’s move on. The government should govern the country. Don’t politicise (things) so much. They should focus on developing the country and uniting the people. Let’s not be too parochial and narrow-minded.”

He said it was important to have a stable country and government to attract foreign investors.

“We can’t afford to have an unstable government. We want investors, who can create jobs. Stability is very important. We can’t continue to fight. We want to develop our country,” he said.

“If you change the government every year, it doesn’t guarantee you anything. That is a fact.”

Malaysia’s Constitution follows the Westminster model, with the monarch playing a largely constitutional role and acting on advice from the ruling government.