Tengku Hassanal said Muhyiddin “deliberately” disparaged the role of the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, during his tenure as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
He added that despite being a former prime minister and seasoned politician, Muhyiddin distorted the facts and promoted a negative narrative by suggesting that Sultan Abdullah was unjust when naming the country’s 10th prime minister following the outcome of the 15th general election (GE15) in November 2022.
“His statement also appears immature, reflecting his inability to accept that he was not made prime minister.
“His statement is extremely dangerous as it openly incites the public to lose trust in the Malay rulers and sows division among the people,” he said in a statement issued by Istana Abdulaziz, Kuantan.
In a ceramah during the Nenggiri by-election campaign, Muhyiddin claimed that “for some reason” he was not invited by Sultan Abdullah to be sworn in as prime minister after GE15 despite “having the numbers” needed to form the government.
Muhyiddin is expected to provide a statement to the police tomorrow regarding his speech, which allegedly touched on the sensitive issues of race, religion, and royalty (3R).
Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said 29 reports were lodged by various parties over Muhyiddin’s speech.
Tengku Hassanal said Sultan Abdullah did not make the decision lightly and had exercised his powers in accordance with Articles 40(2) and 43(2) of the Federal Constitution.
“At the time, His Majesty consulted constitutional experts, top civil servants and sought the views of the Council of Rulers before making the decision.
“Parliament also passed a motion of confidence in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Dec 19, 2022,” Tengku Hassanal added.
“As such, the result of the confidence vote clearly aligns with Sultan Abdullah’s considerations when Anwar Ibrahim was made prime minister.”
Tengku Hassanal urged the police to take firm action against Muhyiddin for intentionally stirring sentiments on 3R issues.
“I also advise all politicians to steadfastly uphold the principles of the Rukun Negara and continue uniting the rakyat so that Malaysia, as a multiracial country, can become a developed nation with economic excellence, a sustainable environment and a happy populace,” he said.
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