Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. File. | Photo Credit: AP
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was charged with treason on Tuesday (August 27) after he allegedly gave a speech questioning the integrity of the country’s former king.
Mr Muhyiddin, who led Malaysia from March 2020 to August 2021, pleaded not guilty in a court in the northeastern state of Kelantan. According to the chargesheet, Muhyiddin made seditious remarks during a by-election campaign in Kelantan last month.
The rulers of the nine ethnic Malay states become kings of Malaysia for five-year terms under the country’s rotating monarchy, which began when Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The monarchy plays a largely ceremonial role but is respected by the country’s majority of Muslims.
In his speech on August 14, Mr Muhiuddin had questioned why the then King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah did not invite him to become prime minister following the instability in Parliament in November 2022. Mr Muhiuddin had claimed he had the support of a majority of MPs.
Mr. Muhyiddin’s Islamic nationalist faction received more support than expected from Malays, who make up about two-thirds of Malaysia’s 34 million population. Sultan Abdullah appointed then-opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister after Mr. Anwar rallied support from rival parties to form a unity government.
Sultan Abdullah of the central Pahang state, whose reign ended on Jan 30 this year, did not comment on the matter. But his son strongly rebuked Mr Muhyiddin, saying his remarks were dangerous and could divide people and weaken the royal institution.
Mr Muhyiddin was questioned by police following complaints against him. He has denied insulting the royal family, saying his remarks were factual and that he had taken an oath supported by 115 MPs in the 222-member Parliament.
Zaid Malek, of human rights and law reform group Lawyers for Liberty, condemned the use of the colonial-era Sedition Act against Mr Muhyiddin. He said it was not treason to question or criticise the king’s exercise of constitutional power.
The law, introduced by the British in 1948, criminalises speech or actions of an unspecified “seditious tendency”, including promoting hatred against the government and monarchy or inciting racial discord.
“The king is a constitutional monarch, not a feudal ruler. So his exercise of power can be debated, questioned or criticised. This is the basis of our constitutional monarchy system,” Mr Zaid said. He said Mr Anwar had backtracked on his promise to repeal the Sedition Act, which has long been used to suppress dissent.
Mr Muhyiddin, 77, faces up to three years in jail or a fine or both if found guilty. He is still battling corruption and money-laundering charges, which he claims are politically motivated.
Mr Muhyiddin is the second former leader to be charged with crimes after former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was charged with a slew of offences after losing the 2018 general election. Najib will be sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2022, and several more corruption trials are ongoing.