You can’t question the king’s discretion, Azalina tells Muhyiddin

August 22, 2024

You can’t question the king’s discretion, Azalina tells Muhyiddin

PETALING JAYA: Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said has reminded Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s power in appointing a prime minister.

In a post on X, Azalina said that Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution stipulates that the king appoints a prime minister among the elected MPs who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority.

She also said that Article 40(2)(a) states that the Agong may act at his discretion in the appointment of a prime minister.

“You cannot question the king’s discretion. You also do not need to tell the king what to do or who to choose,” she said.

“It’s very simple!”

DISYORKAN UNTUK ANDA :

Kerana Muhyiddin 17 ADUN PN Pahang Dalam Dilema

Earlier today, Muhyiddin spent about an hour giving a statement to the police over a campaign speech in Nenggiri in which he questioned why he was not invited by the former king, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, to become the prime minister after GE15 in November 2022 resulted in a hung Parliament.

The Pagoh MP said he had obtained a simple majority and had the backing of enough MPs to form the government.

Muhyiddin has since defended his “factual” speech, saying it was not intended to insult the monarchy or incite the public.

The Bersatu president’s remarks led to numerous police reports calling for stern action to be taken against him for questioning the king’s authority.

The Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, had also expressed anger at Muhyiddin over his remarks, accusing him of deliberately disparaging the former king.

Today, Muhyiddin submitted to the police statutory declarations from 115 MPs purportedly backing him as prime minister soon after GE15.