Rulers also want a stable govt, say analysts

PETALING JAYA: While much has been said about the Malay ruler’s decree on the reopening of Parliament and the ending of the emergency, analysts point out that the statement also emphasised the need for a stable government that is backed by the confidence and majority support of the rakyat.

Political analyst Azmi Hassan said Wednesday’s statement can be read in two ways.

First, the Malay rulers want the opposition and people to support the current government while solving the mounting health and economic crisis.

“But it may also mean the current government may not have the majority support,” he told FMT.

However, he said, the focus was on having a stable government.

Azmi said the Malay rulers may want Putrajaya to open Parliament as soon as possible so the MPs can discuss the matter.

“When the time is right for elections, they may want the rakyat to decide who they want,” he added.

Socio-political analyst Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said the Malay rulers were giving space to Parliament to decide who should be in charge.

“I believe it is to allow Parliament to decide who has the majority support to govern the country,” he told FMT.

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said the emphasis here was on “confidence”.

“The government needs to have the confidence of the people so that it can have the majority support,” he told FMT.

At the moment, he said, there was widespread distrust of the government as the leaders are viewed “as totally incompetent”.

“Even if you leave politics aside, everyone can see how they have handled the health pandemic,” he said, referring to the slow vaccination rate and the surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths.

Malaysian Council of Professors Jeniri Amir said the Malay rulers do not want elections during the health pandemic.

“They don’t want anyone to rock the boat and destabilise the government as the nation faces the public health and economic crisis,” he said.

He said the nation needs a stable government to focus on issues at hand and “focus on better strategies”.