Malaysia’s King Summons Political Leaders as Public Anger Grows Over Covid

(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia’s king is set to have an audience with political parties beginning Wednesday, amid public anger over the state of emergency that has failed to contain the Covid outbreak.

King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad met with Anwar Ibrahim Wednesday morning to discuss current issues, said the opposition leader outside the palace gates. This included the ongoing emergency, infections, and public as well as investor confidence, added Anwar.

“His Majesty was open to listening to all views for one hour,” Anwar told reporters. The king is well informed of Malaysia’s situation and is taking into account various perspectives, he said, adding the issue of changing the government did not arise during their discussion.

Malaysia’s already elevated political risks have worsened due to “widespread and growing dissatisfaction” over the government’s handling of the pandemic, Fitch Solutions wrote in a report Monday. Rising public anger will likely affect the government’s unity, and Malaysians may take to the streets if elections aren’t held in coming months, it said.

READ: Malaysia PM Under Pressure as Anger Builds on Covid Surge

Malaysia’s king could potentially put a stop to it. The monarch has the ability to lift the ongoing state of emergency that he declared in January in order for the government to tackle the pandemic. The emergency state allowed embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to suspend parliament -- where he faced growing dissent -- and enact temporary laws without legislative approval.

Still, the emergency didn’t help to contain the outbreak. Malaysia returned to a hard lockdown this month after daily infections topped a record 9,000 by end-May, straining the resources of the nation’s hospitals. The worsening outbreak has prompted calls for parliament to reconvene. Malaysia on Friday said it was studying the possibility of allowing lawmakers to participate online.

READ: How the Pandemic Is Keeping Malaysia’s Politics Messy: QuickTake

Anwar said he urged the monarch to do his utmost to prevent the government from extending the emergency, which is due to end in August. Still, the king is beholden to the spirit of Malaysia’s constitutional monarchy, where he acts on the prime minister’s advice, Anwar said.

The head of the Democratic Action Party will meet with the king Wednesday afternoon, Anthony Loke, the opposition party’s national secretary, said in a Facebook post. Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad will have a separate session Thursday, Bernama reported, citing a party leader.

After staying in the background of national politics for decades, Malaysia’s monarch began moving center stage last year to fill a vacuum created following the abrupt resignation of Mahathir as premier. The king resolved a week-long impasse by tapping Muhyiddin to become prime minister without a parliamentary vote. Opposition leaders had sought meetings with the king while vying for power.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.