Rulers also want a stable govt, say analysts - Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: While much has been said about the Malay rulers’ decree on the reopening of Parliament and the ending of the emergency, analysts point out that their statement also emphasised the need for a stable government that has the confidence and support of the majority of the rakyat.
Political analyst Azmi Hassan said Wednesday’s statement by the Malay rulers can be read in two ways.
First, they want the opposition and the rakyat to support the current government while it seeks to resolve the mounting health and economic crisis faced by the nation.
“But it may also mean the current government may not have the majority support,” he told FMT.
However, he said, the focus of the Malay rulers’ statement was also on the need for a stable government.
Azmi said the Malay rulers may want Putrajaya to open Parliament as soon as possible so that the MPs can discuss the way forward for a stable government.
“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 senior fellow Jeniri Amir said the Malay rulers do not want elections during the 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 the serious issues at hand and “focus on better strategies” to overcoming them.