Malaysia king holds talks to end political crisis
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s king met with lawmakers on Wednesday and will next consult other royal families in a continuing search for a prime minister ater inconclusive general elections that saw the rise of Islamists sparked anxieties in the multiracial nation.
The monarch on Wednesday met leaders from the third largest bloc, the alliance led by the United Malays National Organisation, as well as another influential bloc from Borneo island.
The palace in a statement said Sultan Abdullah will meet Thursday with royal families from nine states to consult them on the deadlock. Malaysia’s hereditary state rulers, who take turns as the country’s king every five years under a unique rotation system, are highly regarded by the country’s Malay majority as the guardians of Islam and Malay tradition.
“Our country’s future is valuable and we have to plan it carefully,” the king said in the statement as he appealed for calm.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan, or Alliance of Hope, topped Saturday’s poll with 82 parliamentary seats, but failed to reach the 112 needed for a majority.
Former prime minister Muhyiddin’s Malaycentric Perikatan Nasional, or National Alliance, won 73 seats. The hung parliament renewed a leadership crisis in Malaysia that saw three prime ministers since 2018.
The biggest winner was the Pan-malaysian Islamic Party, the hard-line ally in Muhyiddin’s bloc, with 49 seats - more than double what it won in 2018.
As the contest for the top job drags on, police have tightened security as posts on social media warned of racial troubles if Anwar’s multiethnic bloc wins.
Malay Muslims form two-thirds of Malaysia’s 33 million people, who include large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
National police chief Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said on Wednesday that security has been tightened at strategic locations nationwide to ensure public safety and order.
Police have earlier warned of stern action against social media users fanning racial and religious sentiments.
A group of civil society and rights organisations said they detected a coordinated atempt on social media to promote Muhyiddin’s bloc and demonise Anwar and one of its Chinese-dominated allies, the Democratic Action Party, or DAP.