Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Muhyiddin Yassin charged with sedition over his remarks on King
- In Reports
- 04:17 PM, Aug 27, 2024
- Myind Staff
Malaysia's opposition leader and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has been charged with sedition for allegedly insulting the country’s former king, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah. The charges were filed on Tuesday in a court in the northeastern state of Kelantan, according to Muhyiddin's lawyer. Muhyiddin, who served as Malaysia’s prime minister from 2020 to 2021, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The charges stem from remarks Muhyiddin allegedly made in a political speech on August 15, where he questioned the former king's credibility following the 2022 general election, which resulted in a hung parliament. According to local media reports, Muhyiddin claimed in his speech that he had secured enough support from lawmakers to form a government after the election but questioned why Al-Sultan Abdullah had not invited him to be sworn in as prime minister. Instead, Al-Sultan Abdullah appointed Anwar Ibrahim as the country’s prime minister in November 2022.
Malaysia practices a unique form of monarchy in which the country’s nine sultans take turns being king every five years. Although the monarchy’s role is largely ceremonial, it is deeply respected in Malaysia. Negative remarks on the monarchy can lead to prosecution under Malaysia’s Sedition Act, a colonial-era law that has been used against critics of the royal family.
Al-Sultan Abdullah, whose five-year reign ended in January, has not publicly commented on Muhyiddin’s remarks, and his office was not immediately available for comment.
If found guilty of sedition, Muhyiddin faces up to three years in prison and a maximum fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,148), according to his lawyer. Muhyiddin, who leads Malaysia’s conservative, Malay-centric opposition bloc, is also facing separate charges of corruption and money laundering filed against him last year. He has dismissed those charges as politically motivated.
Anwar Ibrahim’s government has denied allegations of targeting political rivals, asserting that the charges against Muhyiddin are part of a broader effort to tackle high-level corruption in the country.
Image source: Getty Images
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