|
Malaysian state sultan told to stay away from politics
KUALA
LUMPUR, Dec 9 (AFP) - A pro-government Malaysian daily told a state sultan
Thursday to stay out of politics, saying his objections to a
new
government line-up in Negeri Sembilan caused a swearing-in ceremony to be postponed. The
swearing-in of the chief minister and his executive councillors was postponed
Tuesday, in what the Malay-language Utusan Malaysia blamed
on
palace objections. "The
palace was not happy with the state council line-up, and maybe with the chief
minister Isa Samad himself. It tried to apply pressure with the hope
that
the line-up would be changed," the paper said in a front-page editorial.
"Whatever the excuse, the palace cannot interfere in the formation of the state
government," it said.
"The
palace cannot pressure the country's leadership into making changes. The 100
percent mandate given by Negeri Sembilan voters to the
(ruling)
National Front must be respected and upheld." The
newspaper reminded the state monarchy that its role was "purely symbolic" and
that the palace should have quietly voiced its objections to
the
country's leadership instead of delaying the ceremony. "We
don't want to see any crisis," it said. "We urge the prime minister not to bow
to any pressure from the palace ... we also urge the palace not
to
overstep its scope of duties and powers." An
assemblyman was earlier quoted as saying he had heard "rumblings" that state
ruler Tuanku Ja'afar Tuanku Abdul Rahman was unhappy with
the
line-up. Isa himself denied any interference from the sultan's palace. The Sun
Thursday quoted a state official as saying the swearing-in was postponed because
it coincided with the ruler's state investiture ceremony
and
would now be held Monday. Tuanku
Ja'afar was Malaysia's king until earlier this year under its system of rotating
the monarchy every five years. Nine of the 13 states have
royal
households. Both the
king and the sultans are expected to play a purely ceremonial role. Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad moved in 1983-84 and in 1993-94
to
curb the powers of the monarch and the local rulers.
Elections for the national parliament and state assemblies were held November
29.
|
