Sacrosanctity of royal institution must be upheld by both rulers and their subjects

(NST) – OF late the royal institution has come in for some special mention in the social media, and not always in a positive light.

The latest involves the status of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. One development after another is being viralled.

First came stories of the king being on treatment. Stories of a purported marriage to a Russian followed, with pictures to boot.

There was neither confirmation nor denial of the marriage from Istana Negara or other authorities. This a disturbing trend, especially when no effort is being made to put an end to the “hot” conversations in the cyberspace.

Of course, not all conversations in the social media are true. But then again, not all Netizens can tell a viral lie from the truth.

If what is being said about the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in the social media are fabricated lies, they are certainly defamatory to the royal institution and to the person of the King.

It most certainly hurts the reputation of the constitutional monarchy that Malaysia is.

Stern action must be taken against the perpetrators. But if it is true, the authority must quickly acknowledge it. Otherwise, the sanctity of the royal institution will be eroded, and with it the people’s trust. We must not allow silence to be interpreted as consent.

Prime Minster Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has a point. Writing in his blog chedet.cc on Jan 2 about the rule of law generally, Dr Mahathir talks of the importance of the Federal Constitution in determining “the legal structure of Malaysia from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to the rulers of the states, to the federal and state governments and the bodies empowered to rule and enforce”.

There is no provision which exempts anyone from the rule of law, he says. We cannot but agree with the good doctor.

If exemptions are granted, then we, as a country cannot make a claim to being a nation guided by rule of law. We join the prime minister in saying that it is disturbing indeed to see “blatant breaches of the law being perpetrated in the mistaken belief that immunity has somehow been accorded”.

Truth is not seditious, says Dr Mahathir. We could not have said it better.

We must remember that we are a nation that practises democracy. We cannot have one rule for one set of people and another for another set of people.

This will disturb the balance of justice. Dr Mahathir puts it thus: “The rule of law applies to everyone from the rulers to the prime minister and ministers, to the civil servants and ordinary citizens”.

To this prime ministerial words, we add the famous words of Lord Chief Justice Gordon Hewart now heard throughout the common law world and beyond, uttered nearly 100 years ago, in R v Sussex Justices; Ex parte McCarthy [1924] 1 KB 256, 259 (‘R v Sussex Justices’): “Justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.”