Pakatan and Perikatan both slapped by the Rulers
That is why we are suddenly seeing the politicians falling over each other in making statements. They know if they defy the Rulers then Plan B is coming. And guess what Plan B is. Yes, an emergency and a military-backed caretaker government with a caretaker Prime Minister.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Sunday’s decision by the Conference of Rulers took both Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional by surprise. Both sides of the political divide had assumed that the Conference of Rulers would consent to the request by the Prime Minister for a declaration of emergency.
In fact, Pakatan Harapan had already pre-empted this by issuing all sorts of statements and articles opposing the declaration of an emergency. Previous Attorney-General Tommy Thomas even declared what he thought was an imminent declaration of an emergency as unconstitutional.
Tommy Thomas must be nuts to make that statement
Unconstitutional? How in heaven’s name can it be unconstitutional when it is provided for in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia? Tommy Thomas must have been drunk when he said that.
Anwar Ibrahim and the Pakatan Harapan cohorts and minions were barking like dogs and foaming at the mouth protesting the impending declaration of an emergency. They talked as if it was a fait accompli.
More importantly, they talked as if the Agong and his brother-Rulers had no constitutional powers and must do whatever the Prime Minister wants without question or protest.
But then the Conference of Rulers and His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong were nobody’s puppets. They do not do what the politicians want, whether from the government or from the opposition. They do what is right for the country and good for the rakyat.
The nine state Rulers are chiefs of each branch of the armed forces while the Agong is Supreme Commander of the entire Armed forces. So, we have ten rulers with the strength of the military behind them. And that is not something which Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan combined can match.
The Rulers speak with the power of the military behind them
The police or Bukit Aman is loyal to the government of the day. That has been proven time and time again over the last 200 years since the British first illegally grabbed power and renamed the country “British Malaya”.
The military, however, is loyal to its commanders. And their commanders are the Agong and the nine state Rulers.
Since the time Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad triggered a Constitutional Crisis about 35 years ago, the Rulers have kept very much low key. Umno and Mahathir created the perception that the Rulers have lost their powers and that thanks must be given to Umno and Mahathir.
This is a fallacy and a perception created to give an impression that Umno and Mahathir won and the Rulers lost. Won what? Lost what? Nothing was won and nothing was lost other than any Ruler who commits a crime can be brought to court.
Mahathir bluffed Malaysians into thinking he removed the powers of the Rulers
So what? Rulers, too, must obey the law and if they break the law they must be punished. How can that be interpreted as Umno and Mahathir winning and the Rulers losing? It was all a big wayang. The truth is the Constitutional Crisis of 35 years ended up with status quo. Umno and Mahathir won nothing and the Rulers lost nothing.
On Sunday, after 35 years of keeping quiet, the Rulers hit back. The politicians were no longer united like back in the 1980s. The politicians are now so badly divided — Umno, PPBM, PKR, Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional, etc., fighting amongst themselves. And, as Sun Tzu said, that is the time to strike.
Some say Sunday’s decision was a win for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Others say it was a slap in the face for Muhyiddin and hence he should resign. Actually no one won. The Rulers were not for or against Perikatan Nasional or Pakatan Harapan. The Rulers just wanted to give a slap to both Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan.
After all that brouhaha, nothing has changed
So now everyone is scrambling to issue official statements and press releases. But all those statements are utter bullshit, especially DAP’s statement. These politicians just want to make it look like they want to damai or call a gencatan politik, as per the request of the Agong and the Conference of Rulers.
The truth is, the politicians noted the part in the Agong’s official statement that said “at this point of time” they do not see the need for a declaration of an emergency. Yes, they did not say no need, period. They said no need yet.
But the most important message in that whole thing is the Rulers are saying it is their authority, and not the authority of the Prime Minister or the politicians, to decide whether there should or should not be an emergency declared. Hence the politicians better take note that the rakyat are the Boss and the rakyat have the Rulers and the entire military behind them.
That is why we are suddenly seeing the politicians falling over each other in making statements. They know if they defy the Rulers then Plan B is coming. And guess what Plan B is. Yes, an emergency and a military-backed caretaker government with a caretaker Prime Minister.
