ROYAL OMEN? - A PARTING SLAP FOR ANWAR & HIS 'FTPA' CABINET SEEN FROM OUTGOING AGONG - QUEUE TO BE NEXT PM EXPANDS DESPITE POLITICAL MIRAGE - NO MATTER HOW MANY MPs ANWAR POACHES, ODDS ARE FOR A NEW PM TO TAKE OVER THIS YEAR ITSELF

ROYAL OMEN? - A PARTING SLAP FOR ANWAR & HIS 'FTPA' CABINET SEEN FROM OUTGOING AGONG - QUEUE TO BE NEXT PM EXPANDS DESPITE POLITICAL MIRAGE - NO MATTER HOW MANY MPs ANWAR POACHES, ODDS ARE FOR A NEW PM TO TAKE OVER THIS YEAR ITSELF

Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!

KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - In what is seen as an embarrassing parting slap to embattled Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the outgoing King warned that the institution of Malaysia's constitutional monarchy must not only be preserved but also protected.

The royal comments made during a farewell banquet are seen as a sharp rebuke to the underperforming Anwar and his ineffective government following their attempts to introduce a Fixed-Term Parliament Act, which may bypass some of the discretionary powers of the King so that team Anwar can prevent themselves from being ousted before the expiry of their 5-year term in 2027.

According to national news agency Bernama, "the government would become weak and the country would be in a mess" as the institution of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the Malay term for King) was the last bastion to ensure the people's wellbeing and the nation's sovereignty.

"So protect the institution to the best of your ability. Preserve its dignity and never besmirch it with lies and deceit," Sultan Abdullah said at the State Banquet held in conjunction with the completion of his reign as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, last night (Jan 27).

Less than a week ago, in another unusual move, the King had also sent a letter to Anwar's Cabinet, reminding them that their duty first and foremost is to serve the nation and its people. His last decree to the ministers was that they should not think of position, personal interest and possessions while in power. 

The royal reminder comes amid rising public discontent and accusations that Anwar and his ministers have been focusing on clinging to power instead of resolving major issues inherited from past regimes - including a fast-decaying economy, a large and corrupt civil service, worsening inflation and a regressive, self-eating education system.

WEAK ANWAR COULD NEVER BE PM WITHOUT STRONG AGONG

Sultan Abdullah, who is also the monarch of Pahang state, is due to return home when incoming King, Sultan Ibrahim of Johor, takes over on Jan 31.

Indeed, Sultan Abdullah knows what he is talking about. During his five-year term as Agong, there were two changes in federal government and three changes in prime ministers. It was an unprecedented era, marked by long periods of Emergency rule and Covid-19 lockdowns that severely derailed Malaysia's economy, forcing Sultan Abdullah to also act out of norm when he refused to rubber-stamp the extension of Emergency rule sought by ex-premier Muhyiddin Yassin, who had replaced Mahathir Mohamad in 2020 after pulling a coup, known as the Sheraton Move.

Muhyiddin himself eventually lost support and tried to fend off his own ouster by coalition mate Ismail Sabri, as well as a failed attempt by Anwar who was then the Opposition Leader, by making use of the Covid crisis to declare Emergency rule. Muhyiddin, the president of the Bersatu party, was finally forced to give way to Ismail Sabri via a power transfer sanctioned by the King in 2021. However Ismail lost the 2022 general election to Anwar and his Pakatan Harapan coalition.

Even so, if not for Sultan Abdullah brokering a 'peace' plan via a unity government, Anwar could never have been Prime Minister as his coalition won only 82 out of Parliament's 222 seats, insufficient to form a government.

Until now, the Anwar regime is shaky and could topple any day as the support from coalition partners including Sarawak's GPS, Sabah's GRS and even Umno, which is headed by Anwar's long-time pal and deputy premier Zahid Hamidi, a political mirage that can vanish in the blink of an eye. Hence, the constant show of bravado, tough talk and strong-arm tactics deployed by the 'Little Napoleons' from Anwar's own Pakatan Harapan coalition in their bid to win the psy-war and portray a facade of strength.

"No, Anwar is indeed weak - what you see is not what you get. The problem for his opponents is not that they lack the numbers but either distrust among themselves which they are probably still sorting out. But once they get their act together, Anwar is finished. His unity government is made up of several coalitions and it is apparent the majority in those coalitions don't like or trust him," a pundit told Politics Now! 

"He promised to be a reforms-oriented PM but goes around poaching MPs from the Opposition and bullies them by withholding the federal funding that they are entitled to. Yes, this way he can swing over any number of MPs - 10 or even 20 - to his side without any by-elections. But he is drinking from a poisoned chalice and is either too foolish, too vain or too hard-pressed to realize it."

"Notice that all six of the Bersatu MPs have also declared loyalty to their party even as they declared support for Anwar so as to get their hands on the millions of ringgit in federal allocations. Once it is clear Anwar will be kicked out, obviously these rogue MPs will rush to sign support letters declaring support to the new PM candidate, who can be from the existing Opposition parties or even from one of the parties now allied to Anwar such as Umno or GPS."

SHODDY, SHADY BEHAVIOR ONLY GIVES OPPOSITION MORE BULLETS

The shoddy, even shady, behavior by Anwar and his core coalition mates from DAP, Amanah and his own PKR party does indeed make it easier not only for the new King to sanction but also for the public to accept a transfer of power to a new combination of coalitions led by a new PM candidate without any snap elections being called.

Mahathir has already challenged Anwar, who approval rating has plunged to 50%, to dissolve Parliament but while this is perhaps the most transparent way to return the power of democracy to the people, it is an expensive and troublesome exercise. Most voters - while vocal about their dissatisfaction with the way the country's currency has plummeted to historic lows with inflation and costs of living zooming up to unprecedented highs - still prefer to avoid having to trudge to the balloting stations and queue for hours to cast their votes.

Another transparent way out is for a no-confidence vote to be tabled in Parliament but all signs point to the Speaker, an Anwar loyalist, blocking any such motion. In fact, a former health minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, has proposed to Anwar regime to guarantee that such motions will not be suppressed if the requests are made by at least 15 to 20 MPs, so that frivolous applications are sieved out.

Tellingly, Anwar has ignored both Mahathir and Khairy. Some analysts believe if pressed to the wall, Anwar will dissolve Parliament rather than allow the new King to broker the formation of a new government - if the Opposition and new PM candidate manage to show sufficient proof that he has lost the majority support needed to stay on as prime minister.

However, there are many more who believe Anwar would "chicken out" of a snap election as his PKR party, the weakest link in the Pakatan Harapan coalition, may be decimated despite being the incumbent ruling party.

A QUEUE TO REPLACE ANWAR BEFORE 2024 ENDS

Hence, all eyes on Jan 31, when the no-nonsense and bold Sultan Ibrahim officially takes over as the new King. Is the Opposition ready to make their move yet? Or will they continue their cat-and-mouse game to sap Anwar's resources, expose his weaknesses and bad faith as a leader for a while more?

Chances are the Opposition will give Anwar a bit more rope to hang himself. The new King too might not be pleased to be put in a spot so soon after assuming the throne. Nonetheless, the consensus among political observers is that it is a certainty Anwar won't make it to full term in 2027. 

With the ringgit continuing to plunge towards RM5 to US$1 and the prices of essentials set to leap again due to Anwar's failure to manage both imported as well as domestic knock-on inflation, odds are high investors and the citizenry will be welcoming a new prime minister this year itself.

The frontrunners are now Tengku Zafrul, the current international trade minister and a former finance minister; Hishammuddin Hussein, a former defense and foreign minister; Mohamad Hasan, the current foreign minister and also a former defense minister; and Samsuri Mokhtar, the fast-rsing Terengganu chief minister. 

The name of Sarawak's capable premier Abang Jo has also been touted and while he may be the most suitable choice to revive Malaysia, he has already said he's not "dumb" enough to want the post that traditionally goes to a Malay from Peninsular or West Malaysia. 

Yet the East Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah are major sources of oil wealth and timber. Together they outsize the peninsula in terms of land mass. There is already a growing 'leave Malaysia' movement in both states and it's hard not to see on the horizon such an event - which will be catastrophic for the fortunes of West Malaysia although for Sarawakians and Sabahans, it is likely to herald an exciting new beginning full of bright hopes and promises.

Other dark horses to succeed Anwar are ex-premiers Ismail Sabri, whose lacklustre performance make him an unlikely choice although he could be a compromise candidate, and Muhyiddin Yassin, whose regime was seen as challenging the King during the Covid lockdowns and thus might rank last on the new short list.

Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!

Politics Now!