The Malaysian Insight

THERE’S a new Malaysia that everyone needs adjusting to – be they civil servants, common folk, politicians or royals. In this Malaysia, nothing is sacred.

Civil servants are under scrutiny, even if they follow procedures to get political appointees and new colleagues within the system. Politicians, such as Anwar Ibrahim, get brickbats for trying to force a by-election to enter Parliament.

But the ones feeling the heat and facing the most changes must be the royals. Some of them are having difficulty navigating the new political terrain under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.

It is more that it is a Mahathir government. He brooked no nonsense when he was prime minister from 1981 to 2003, pushing through two constitutional amendments to curtail royal powers. All the more now that he is prime minister.

But the royals had had a free rein in the Najib years. They could blog, issue statements and castigate ruling politicians without much downside. They became accustomed to that status quo. 

Now things have changed. Not only are their statements and interventions scrutinised but also challenged openly.

Veteran newspaperman and blogger A. Kadir Jasin is one who does not mince his words when he speaks about the royals, very much how he did so when he edited the New Straits Times during the Mahathir years.

In a blog about the Johor crown prince who complained about his social media postings being monitored by intelligence agencies, Kadir put it succinctly that it was not the social media postings that were the concern.

“The concern is about them straying into the political arena where they may get clobbered, their immunity questioned and their status lowered,” said Kadir, who is also media adviser to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“Anybody who plays politics must be prepared to be treated like a politician more so when he or she takes to the media – social and formal – to air partisan views,” he added, alluding to the prince’s statements before the May 9 elections about the ideal choice for Malaysia’s future.

When it comes down to it, no matter how carefully the Johor crown prince crafts his postings and no matter how legitimate he feels his grouses are, fact is that a large swathe of Malaysians identify him and many other royals as part of the old political establishment.

That political establishment vanished on May 9. Malaysians overwhelmingly voted for a new way of doing things much to the bewilderment of Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians and the royals who supported them.

There is a greater sense of accountability now, greater checks and balances for all those who put themselves up on a pedestal or are put up there by history and feudalism.

Anything anyone says can be used against them, every promise must be kept and every move is watched. In this new Malaysia, one must walk the talk, not just talk the walk.

We all serve the nation, and not expect the nation to serve us. – September 12, 2018.

* Jahabar Sadiq runs The Malaysian Insight.