On Oct. 20, Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah told candidates vying for power in the upcoming general elections to be “civil” as the country approaches its campaign period.
In the years since the 2018 elections, Malaysia has been rocked by a series of political turnovers, prompting the National Palace to remind Malaysians to seek a smooth election period.
A ‘civil’ election
In a statement by Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, Comptroller of the Royal Household, he said that the King told election candidates and party supporters to comply with the rules set by the law, especially the Election Commission (EC) and the local police, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported.
“The King has urged candidates and supporters of political parties to take a civil approach during the campaigning period, starting from the nomination day on Nov. 5,” he said.
Mr. Ahmad Fadil also said that the King wants everyone to behave accordingly, discouraging them from using intimidation or attacks on each other and to run a peaceful election.
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“The King would like to remind that in the heat of campaigning, candidates and supporters should mind their manners and remember their moral values. Abstain from slandering, provocation, insults and attacks that demean and ridicule anyone during campaigning,” he added.
Not wanting to plunge the nation into disorder, Mr. Ahmad Fadil stated that the King wished for cooperation between the parties to preserve the “judiciary, parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.”
“In the king’s opinion, cooperation among all quarters is important, along with respecting and upholding the judiciary, parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy by making political cooperation between parties more harmonious,” Mr. Ahmad Fadil said.
Malaysians are also encouraged to “pray” that the elections will go fairly and that everyone will be safe during the voting period.
The King recently paid a visit to England to meet with King Charles III on Oct. 12.
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Another electoral faceoff
Malaysia’s EC announced on Oct. 20 that the nation’s 15th general elections — also known as GE15 — will be held on Nov. 19, following the dissolution of the country’s parliament on Oct. 10.
On Nov. 5, electoral candidates are to send their nominations for their parties, EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said.
Around 21 million Malaysians are eligible to vote in GE15, as the parties vy for 222 seats within the Parliament. Whichever party wins the majority of 112 seats will become the next ruling party.
It has been four years since the last General Election, which saw the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party — the ruling party since Malaysia’s independence in 1957 — lose to the Pakatan Harapan alliance. However, a sudden crisis in 2020 saw Pakatan Harapan lose its position, with UMNO returning to power.
Pakatan Harapan chose Anwar Ibrahim as its candidate for Prime Minister. Anwar recently parted ways with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad due to the fallout of the alliance’s downfall. He will challenge current Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob of UMNO for the position.
Mahathir, 97, recently said that he was ready to meet Anwar over the possibility of joining forces again, as he is leading a separate pro-Malay party called the Parti Pejuang Tanah Air.
