Commentary: Malaysia’s new king wants to get more involved, but don’t expect radical changes

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The Westminster system of constitutional monarchy has worked well in Malaysia and it is unlikely to be changed. The king may try to test the limits, but he will be wary also of challenging the established protocols.

After all, any real changes would have to be agreed by the nine sultans collectively and there is a five-year clock.

MORE DIRECT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENTS EXPECTED

What we can expect from the Johor Sultan is more direct public engagements where he will make his views known.

He will likely weigh in on matters such as the people’s welfare and issues related to government service delivery, as well as push for more developments with a Johor connection. For example, he has publicly stated his view on resuming the high-speed rail (HSR) project between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and expanding relations with Singapore and China.  

In line with his call for political stability, we can also expect the new king to tell the political class to use the floor of parliament rather than the palace if they wish to change government.

It’s unlikely the new king will speak on political matters outright. There are palace protocols to follow, and he is fully aware of them.

Malaysia’s unique system of rotational monarchy has worked well since 1957 and no single individual will be able to change its fundamental characteristics. All Malaysians understand the need to keep the institution “above politics”.

James Chin is Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania and Senior Fellow at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia.

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Commentary: Indonesia gears up for an election that could end all elections

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“OPPOSITION-LESS” APPROACHES TO GOVERNING

The position of major parties regarding the future of direct elections appears largely instrumental. The National Awakening Party (PKB), which Baswedan’s running mate Muhaimin Iskandar heads, has advocated for the regional parliaments’ appointment of governors. This is despite Baswedan’s popular election as Jakarta governor, like Jokowi before him, being foundational to his viability as a presidential candidate now.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), whose candidate Ganjar Pranowo was a two-term elected governor of Central Java, has also indicated support for the idea. A draft legislation was recently put forward for a framework for governing Jakarta once the new capital city Nusantara officially replaces it as the nation’s capital.

The Bill proposes that future governors would be appointed by the president on the regional legislative council’s recommendation – an idea touted by the PSI, the self-proclaimed youth party now led by Jokowi’s youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep.

The preference shown by many political parties for greater control over executive leader appointment processes reflects agitation at what they see as the vagaries and increasing expense of direct elections plus the need to find “electable” candidates.

Any further narrowing of the field for political contestation, such as a return to closed-list voting systems or parliamentary appointments of regional leaders, would close the door on the possibility of any disruptive outsiders contesting gubernatorial or legislative posts. This would be most detrimental to those sectors of civil society without ties to, or utility value for, political elites who will face greater barriers to electoral participation and vulnerability to repression. This would extend to outlier parties excluded from a ruling coalition.

As we have seen over the past decade, few have remained committed to being an effective opposition – a role which comes with risks, such as targeted criminalisation.

A Prabowo presidency, then, may see an expansion of “opposition-less” approaches to governing, framed by nationalist tropes of safeguarding unity. The logic of this approach, already embraced by Jokowi, is to remove parliamentary opposition and curtail the emergence of rival power bases. This is done not by overt repression but co-optation into large ruling coalitions managed via negotiations and inter-elite deals.

Prabowo has said that he intends to include “all sides” in any future government. This would resemble his preferred integralist “consensus” (musyawarah)-based model, as envisioned in Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution, and serve to further strengthen the power of the executive.

In such a scenario, core democratic processes such as elections may be maintained, albeit on a reduced scale but largely stripped of their potential for delivering substantive change. Such processes will nonetheless continue to provide an important avenue for public participation and for conferring legitimacy on the status quo.

If Prabowo can maintain his popularity like Jokowi has done, he may feel emboldened to flex his authoritarian muscle and push once more for a rollback of the post-1999 constitutional amendments and the end of direct elections.

Ian Wilson is a Visiting Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. He is also Senior Lecturer in International Politics and Security Studies, Academic Chair of the Global Security Program and Co-Director of the Indo-Pacific Research Centre at Murdoch University, Western Australia. This commentary first appeared on the Institute’s blog, Fulcrum.

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China, US resume fentanyl talks in Beijing

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After being greeted at Beijing’s Diaoyutai guesthouse by Minister for Public Security Wang Xiaohong, Daskal underscored that “synthetic drugs are killing so many thousands of people”. “I’ve come from Washington with a very high level delegation that represents the United States’ whole-of-government approach to tackling the global challenge posed byContinue Reading

Thai police warn Liverpool fans not to fall for Alonso scam

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BANGKOK: Thai police have warned Liverpool fans not to fall for online scammers impersonating Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso, hotly tipped to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield in the summer. The Central Investigation Bureau told supporters to watch out for a viral message purporting to show the Spaniard’s Instagram account askingContinue Reading

South Korea’s Yoon blocks new probe of 2022 Halloween crowd crush

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol blocked on Tuesday (Jan 30) a Bill to launch a new probe into a Halloween crowd crush that killed 159 people in Seoul’s Itaewon district in 2022, in a move slammed by the opposition and relatives of the victims. Yoon’s veto of a probe with an independent panel came after the prime minister described the opposition-backed Bill as politicised and potentially in breach ofContinue Reading

North Korea fires cruise missiles in fresh flurry of tests

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SEOUL: North Korea fired another round of cruise missiles on Tuesday (Jan 30), Seoul’s military said, extending a recent flurry of tests of weapons that analysts warned could be destined for Russia’s war in Ukraine. This month, Pyongyang has conducted tests of what it called an “underwater nuclear weapon system”,Continue Reading

CNA Explains: Why has Malaysia launched a royal inquiry into the Pedra Branca dispute?

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Politics expert James Chin of the University of Tasmania echoed similar sentiments, pointing out that it was in the interest of many Malaysians for the federal government’s handling of the matter to be divulged fully.

“I think this is one of those issues which the Malaysian public want a full accounting of,” he said.

“It’s important for this issue to be investigated because many Malaysians were very surprised by the ICJ findings … and lots of people in Johor are unhappy that they lost the islands.”

Analysts also speculated that the RCI may have been convened with the support of Johor’s ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, who will be appointed the country’s king on Wednesday.

Dr Azmi said Sultan Ibrahim has been vocal on the issue given the proximity of the disputed islands, and that he would likely be keen for the RCI to proceed. 

“The selection of the commission will need to be recognised by the new Yang Di Pertuan Agong when he is elected … so I think yes, the timing of the convening of this RCI has something to do with the Sultan of Johor,” he added. 

In June 2022, Sultan Ibrahim told the Johor State Assembly he was “bitterly disappointed” by the federal government’s decision to cancel the appeal of ICJ’s decision. 

“The Johor state government was not consulted at all, especially given that it is a sovereign land of Johor. I want the government to act firmly against the individuals who acted against the rights of the state,” he said. 

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said that while the Cabinet has approved the formation of the RCI, the appointment of its members will need consent from Sultan Ibrahim.

“It will only be executed with the formal appointment and swearing-in of the new king,” said Dr Ahmad Zahid. 

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A land bridge too far? Thailand’s revived Kra megaproject a divisive issue among local residents

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Murmurings about rampant land speculation, buying large areas cheaply with the aim to sell at a profit later when value rises, are loud in the community. Many are adamant that political figures are behind the push to purchase land around the project.

In this mostly ageing community of lifelong farmers, the prospect of selling up and moving remains a hard sell.

Further east, the terrain flattens and falls away to the straw sands of the Thai Gulf, the finish line of the land bridge, where shipping containers would be processed onto waiting ships bound for China or Japan.

For now, small resorts, seafood restaurants and aquaculture farms line the coast at Lang Suan in Chumphon.

Development has been lethargic here and life moves accordingly for those who call it home.

Little reliable information has been disseminated to the community here. The same whispers about aggressive land buying persist. But in the eyes of some, with progress comes sparks of opportunity.

Mr Perawat Thiparat, a local restaurant owner, says he thinks increased economic activity will naturally draw more people to the area, and to his family’s resort. 

“When I heard about the project, I thought it might be good for the economy and there would be development, but I don’t know what impacts it will make,” he said, while fishing off a pier at sunset.

On the very same pier, Sureephon Sophonmanee thinks she might be the sole opposing voice in the area. The 57-year-old still plies the seas in a small fishing boat to make a living.

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This luxury getaway in Bali lets you choose your own path to wellness

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Others, like the quantum healing visualisation session, as well as the women circle healing and unveiling masculine healing are perhaps more suited for those who may be more ready to face their emotional and mental “blockages” head on.

The first session of the day was vibrational sound therapy, where metal Tibetan singing bowls are used to create healing sounds at specific frequencies. When done well, proponents of this practice swear by its therapeutic benefits. Unfortunately, I found it impossible to get anywhere close to nirvana because the well-meaning instructor had placed the metal bowls right next to our ears, so each chime felt like an alarm clock jolting me right back to my senses.

Thankfully, the next chakra balancing activity, which featured a gentle series of stretching and strengthening exercises as well as another shorter sound therapy session, worked wonders at resetting my jangled nerves.

(Tip: Those who would like to maximise their wellness activities should check out the timetable of sessions before making reservations to ensure their stay overlaps with the classes and workshops they are interested in attending.)

After all that activity, it was time to visit the crowning glory of Mandapa’s wellness line-up – its spa. Besides a range of facilities like steam rooms, saunas and a rooftop vitality pool which is open to the resort’s guests, there is also an extensive treatment menu of facials, scrubs, massages, and all manner of beauty treatments. As its name implies, the Blissful Marma Massage, which features firm, flowing strokes, worked like a charm in soothing muscular tension.

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