Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah would consult with other rulers to discuss proposals by Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the royal palace said yesterday, after sources said that the prime minister had asked the king to declare a state of emergency.
Muhyiddin on Friday met with the king to present the emergency proposal that includes a suspension of the Malaysian legislature, sources said, a move that Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim denounced as an attempt by the prime minister to cling to his post amid a power struggle.
The proposal comes as the country sees a resurgence in COVID-19 cases and as Muhyiddin faces a leadership challenge from Anwar, who last month said that he had majority support in the legislature to oust Muhyiddin.
The palace did not identify the recommendations made by the prime minister and said that the king will soon hold the consultation with other Malaysian rulers.
“Al-Sultan Abdullah greatly understands the need for the country’s administration to continue to tackle the threat of COVID-19,” the palace said in a statement. The Malaysian Council of Rulers, which groups the heads of the country’s nine royal houses, has the power to withhold consent from any law and deliberate on questions of national policy.
A source familiar with the matter said that the rulers would meet today.
Muhyiddin’s office has not commented on the emergency proposal.
The Malaysian government is scheduled to propose its budget for next year on Nov. 6, and there have been questions over whether it can muster a majority in the legislature.
Defeat on the budget would count as a vote of no-confidence in Muhyiddin and could trigger an election. Emergency rule might mean that the budget would not be put to a vote at that time.
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