Nothing wrong in royal rebuke over 1MDB, says Dr Mahathir

Inaction by the government over the people's grouses may require the Agong and rulers to respond, says former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. – Reuters file pic, October 20, 2015.

The Malay rulers were acting within the provisions of the constitution when they issued a statement urging Putrajaya to speed up investigations into state-owned fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

The former prime minister said the rulers had come up with the statement following the failure of the government to address complaints by the people regarding 1MDB and other pressing issues in the country.

"In making their statement the rulers were not in any way exceeding the provisions of the constitution. They were in fact abiding by the provisions of the constitution," Dr Mahathir wrote on his blog today.

"This is only as it should be as failure of the Cabinet to address complaints by the people may require the Agong and the rulers to urge the government to respond,” he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had earlier made reference to the doctrine of separation of powers when commenting on the statement issued by the Conference of Rulers, urging Putrajaya to expedite the probe into 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion in Datuk Seri Najib Razak's bank accounts.

"It is true that the Agong and the Malay rulers are constitutional monarchs. But that does not mean that they are just rubber stamps to validate all the acts of their governments," Dr Mahathir said.

He cited several provisions in the constitution that states the duties of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, including Section 40, which states that the ruler could use his discretion in the appointment of the prime minister and withhold the request for the dissolution of Parliament.

"Section 41 of the Federal Constitution, which states that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall be the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Federation. Clearly it is not just the privilege of wearing the uniform," Dr Mahathir, who is now one of Najib's biggest critics, said.

"What is clear is that nothing in the constitution talks about the separation of power between the government and the Agong. In fact, in many instances, the Agong may act at his own discretion."

Dr Mahathir, who was Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister, had previously sought to curtail the power of the Malay rulers and his administration removed its power to veto any legislation in 1983.

Ten years later, Dr Mahathir also took the opportunity to remove the constitutional immunity of the sultans from civil and criminal suits.

- TMI