A new king to be crowned
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2019 17:45:38 +0000
TOMORROW Malaysia welcomes a new king who will ascend the nation’s throne. Malaysia is one of only three monarchies in Southeast Asia and like Thailand, is one which is “constitutional” in nature. And that is not all. The Malaysian monarchy is also an “elected” one. It is perhaps instructive for us to delve a bit deeper into this unique national governmental institution.
A constitutional and elected monarchy is by definition different of course from an “absolute” and “dynastic” (or “hereditary”) monarchy. Absolute monarchies are no strangers to students of history, ancient or modern. These monarchs rule their nations with unquestionable fiat, their words often automatically become laws, and they essentially hold the fate of their subject peoples in their hands, literally deciding on their life and death. The fearsome Genghis Khan who conquered large parts of two continents (Asia and Europe) nearly a millennium ago, and Jean-Bedel Bokassa, self-proclaimed emperor of the Central African Empire (now republic) in the 1970s come to mind when one thinks of absolute monarchs. And dynastic or hereditary monarchies are also the order of the day since ancient times when most nations had royal households. The present British queen, for example, hails from the House of Windsor. Wars have raged when dynastic changes took place, as in the case of the British War of the Roses in the Middle Ages, pitching the House of York against the House of Lancaster.
In contrast, Malaysia is a sovereign country formed more than half a century ago when an already independent Malaya merged with the British colonies of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore into one national entity (with Singapore having later seceded to become an independent nation in its own right). At the time of Malaysian formation, Sabah and Sarawak had no monarchical political arrangement. But there have been various traditional state monarchies in Malaya, mostly but not all hereditary in nature. One such “exceptional” Malaya state is Negeri Sembilan, which has long practiced an “elected” monarchical system, with a state ruler elected for life by four regional chiefs. Such a unique monarchical arrangement perhaps inspired the British which bestowed upon Malayan independence a somewhat similarly elected monarchy, and this monarchical system was transplanted onto Malaysia upon the latter’s formation a few years later.
The Malaysian king is officially known as the “Supreme Head of Malaysia.” In the normal course of events, the nine reigning Malayan state rulers will meet every five years to elect one among themselves to be king for a fixed period of five years. So, the Malaysian king is not only elected (albeit by his royal brethren) but also has a time limit on his kingship. This differs from the ruling arrangement in the United Arab Emirates, for example. In the UAE, the presidency and premiership are held for life by the rulers of the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively. In Malaysia, the national throne is somewhat unofficially rotated among the various state rulers, such that each state would have its ruler ascending the throne at appropriate time lapses.
So that was the “elective” nature of the Malaysian monarchy. It is also constitutional in nature in that its position in the Malaysian political machinery is similar to that of the British monarch in the British political arrangement. Since the previously absolute British king was “persuaded” by the nobility to sign the Magna Carta to share political power with them a millennium ago, the British political system has evolved into one where the “real” political power is held by the government of the day led by the prime minister. The monarch has to act on the advice of the prime minister or the cabinet in almost all official matters, from political appointments to pardons, and as far as influence on policy is concerned, the monarch is supposed to only “advise, encourage or warn.” Such is also the case with the Malaysian monarch. Both the British and Malaysian monarchs are essentially symbols of national unity in their respective countries, and as such their ceremonial duties and roles often take up a major part of their work.
There comes a time nevertheless when the monarch in principle could play a significant role in charting the political course of the country.
The king is supposed to appoint a member of the lower house of parliament who in the king’s view commands the support of the majority of member in that house, to be the prime minister (and therefore form the new government) after a fresh general election or upon the resignation of the previous prime minister. When a political party or coalition holds the majority of parliamentary seats outright and is united, the royal choice is quite obvious. But when no party or coalition holds the majority or when the majority party or coalition is disunited in its membership, the royal choice for a new prime minister could be a nuanced yet decisive one. The change of the ruling coalition in Malaysia for the first time in the country’s history last year initially presented a considerable challenge in this regard, but was ultimately resolved.
The Malaysian monarch and also the state rulers used to enjoy total criminal immunity. However, laws have been passed that nowadays any of them could be criminally prosecuted or civilly sued, albeit in special courts constituted for the specific purpose. The impending coronation of the new Malaysian king comes about due to the unprecedented abdication by his predecessor for personal reasons. It is hoped that the smooth transition of the Malaysian throne could continue to play the unifying role for the country as it embarks upon a national journey of development.
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