The position of the Malay rulers must be determined by the Federal and state constitutions and the law, rather than simply by the outcome of an election, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
Anwar stressed that no political party had included the removal of a ruler in its manifesto when seeking public support during a state election.
“State Executive Council meets to remove the ruler — whose right is that? Oh, because you won the election.
“When you won the election, did you say in your manifesto, ‘If we win, we will remove the ruler’? No.
“People gave you their support to uphold the monarchy, but after winning, you reject the ruler,” he said during the Perintis Reformis Reunion Hi-Tea on Sunday.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman said the constitutional monarchy must be upheld based on the state constitution and laws, rather than being determined by political decisions or party interests.
He added that if any party had a dispute or grounds to challenge the position of a ruler, the matter should be addressed through the proper legal channels.
“If there is a dispute, begin through the legal process, not through the media and not through political parties.
“It is not political parties that determine who becomes a ruler, but heritage, tradition, culture and the Constitution within the law,” he said.
Anwar also said the Federal Government would continue defending the institution of the Malay rulers and ensure matters involving the monarchy were not decided arbitrarily for political interests.
He said the royal institution has its own rules and procedures that must be respected, including the proper channels for expressing agreement or disagreement.
“The system of monarchy has rules and procedures that make it a monarchy. There are proper ways for us to speak, agree or object. Therefore, we defend it,” he said.
