Explainer: What the abdication of Malaysia’s King means for the country

SINGAPORE — A day after news broke on Sunday (Jan 6) that Sultan Muhammad V had become the first King in Malaysia to abdicate the throne, the issue became a hot topic in the country as Malaysians took to social media to express their views and emotions.

These ranged from sadness to indifference and disbelief, and for some, the dramatic turn of events in the Royal Household raised more questions than answers.

However, analysts told TODAY that the writing has been on the wall for some time.

Dr Ooi Kee Beng, executive director of think-tank Penang Institute, said that while the abdication was a "strange turn of events", it did not come entirely as a surprise.

In November last year, the 49-year-old Sultan took two months of medical leave to recuperate following medical treatment. But reports later emerged that he had married a 25-year-old Russian beauty queen after her conversion to Islam.

His union with Miss Moscow 2015 Oksana Voevodina was met with incredulity on social media, and speculation was rife that the other rulers in Malaysia — which has a unique constitutional monarchy system — did not quite agree to crown Ms Voevodina as Queen.

According to online news outlet The Malaysian Insight, photos and videos of Ms Voevodina from her modelling days had surfaced online, raising "more than eyebrows" in Malaysia, particularly in the Sultan's home state of Kelantan. The state is governed by Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), a conservative Islamic party.

Amid the flurry of speculation, the country's Inspector-General of Police issued a warning on Monday about negative remarks online that "exploit the issue", after a few police reports were lodged over comments made on social media.

While some netizens called for Malaysians to respect the Sultan's privacy, some lauded the Sultan for his humour. In his opening remarks in the Malaysian Parliament, the Sultan had joked with the newly sworn-in lawmakers to sit and not run — this was after some politicians had staged a walkout the previous day.

Malaysian netizen Jason Soo said on Facebook that “he is the only king in history that asked us to sit and don't run away”.

Lamenting at the “near total lack of transparency”, another netizen Jay Renaud said it was reminiscent of the “old Malaysia” and that the real reason for the abdication would never be revealed.

Agreeing, Desiree Gasper, 35, said that while the abdication has no direct impact on her, the circumstances leading to his abdication were a "mystery".

"I wish that someone with authority would reveal the reason why he abdicated," said the consultant.

On Monday, The Malaysian Insight, citing courtiers from among the nine palaces in the country, reported that five of Malaysia's nine rulers agreed through unofficial discussions that the Sultan should step down. This was reportedly prompted by the marriage, which was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

News that he had lost the support of the majority of the Sultans was conveyed to him on Saturday night over a private dinner with the monarch of Perlis at the Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, the news outlet reported.

After two years and 24 days into his five-year term, Sultan Muhammad V resigned on Sunday, with the Deputy King, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah of Perak, assuming his duties.

The new King and his deputy will be elected on Jan 24 and take their oath on Jan 31.

WHO'S NEXT?

The nine rulers of the Malay states who form the Conference of Rulers will select a new King to assume a five-year term.

Under the current rotation system based on seniority — which is enshrined in Malaysia's constitution — each of the nine Sultans will get a chance to rule as King of Malaysia.

Currently in its second cycle, the rotation started with the ruler of Negeri Sembilan, followed by Selangor, Perlis, Terengganu, Kedah and Kelantan’s Sultan Muhammad V.

Based on the previous cycle, the remaining Sultans yet to reign as King are Pahang, followed by Johor and Perak.

On Monday, Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang relinquished his chance to be the King due to poor health, which means that Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar is next in line to the throne.

HOW IS THE KING SELECTED?

The ruler at the top of the election list — in this case, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar of Johor — will then be put to the vote by the other rulers, which leaves the potential for him to be sidelined if he does not have the support of at least five Sultans.

Dr Ooi said that the focus would now be on the election of a new King, with the next few days set to be a test of protocols.

Professor Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia told TODAY that the election of the King will provide an important assurance of the stability of the constitutional monarchy system.

"This event proves that that constitutional monarchy system can work in whatever circumstances, be it death or abdication," said Prof Fauzi.

"Although unprecedented, it can happen in an orderly manner, just like how Malaysia transited from a Barisan Nasional government to a Pakatan Harapan government.

"The election of the King will offer a modicum of stability and provide assurance in such situations of uncertainty."

Other ways a ruler may not get elected as King is if he is a minor, or if he rejects the position, which happened in the 2016 election.

The government does not have a say in the whole process, nor do the governors of Penang, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak even though they are in the Council of Rulers.

THE ROLE OF THE KING

While the King has limited powers under a constitutional monarchy, he has discretionary powers in three areas, Mr Lim Wei Jiet, an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, wrote in the Malay Mail.

The King has the power over:

1. The appointment of the prime minister

2. Withholding consent to a request for dissolution of Parliament

3. Requisitioning a meeting of the Conference of Rulers concerned solely with the privileges, position, honours or dignities of their Royal Highnesses, and any action at such a meeting

The King is officially the defender of Islam and seen as the custodian of Malay heritage in Malaysia, and also the Commander-in-Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces.

Dr Ooi noted that if the Johor Sultan becomes the next King, it may get "tricky" given the Johor royal family's acrimonious history with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Agreeing, Associate Professor Awang Azman Awang Pawi of the University of Malaya noted that there have been “disagreements and a tendency for conflict” between Dr Mahathir and the Johor Sultan due to their strong personalities.

“But Mahathir cannot influence the rulers in the appointment of the King,” said Assoc Prof Awang Azman, adding that the Mahathir administration will have to be seen as not intervening nor favouring any sultans.

Prof Fauzi said that given the recent spate of incidents in Malaysia which have inflamed racial tensions, it is important for Putrajaya to maintain a healthy relationship with the monarch.

"Although most of the King's official duties are executed under the advice of the government, he is still symbolically important to the majority of the Malay population, especially in the rural Malay communities," Prof Fauzi said.

"While the Monarch is the King for all the ethnicities in Malaysia, the psychological impact of the Malay Monarch is very important for the Malay community.

"It is important that the government doesn't antagonise the monarchy, and that will assure the Malay population that their interests are protected."