03-16-2022, 07:19 PM
In Malaysia, the sultans have the authority
![[Image: onn-hafiz-emel-pic-160322-1.jpg]](https://s3media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/onn-hafiz-emel-pic-160322-1.jpg)
From Murray Hunter
Nothing is straightforward in Malaysia. Last Saturday, Barisan Nasional (BN), led by Umno won a resounding state elections victory in Johor, only to find that their chosen menteri besar candidate, Hasni Mohammad, was overlooked by the Johor palace and instead Onn Hafiz Ghazi took office.
This is not the first time political party nominees for the position of chief minister have been knocked back by their respective state palaces. Back in Terengganu, in 2008, there was a political impasse when the Sultan insisted Ahmad Said be chief minister over Umno’s choice, Idris Jusoh.
In 2009, the Raja of Perlis refused to swear in Shahidan Kassim as chief minister and swore in Md Isa Sabu instead.
In Selangor, in 2014, in what was called the Kajang Move, the Sultan refused to appoint then opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as chief minister, picking Azmin Ali, even though he didn’t have apparent support from the majority of assembly members.
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Nothing is straightforward in Malaysia. Last Saturday, Barisan Nasional (BN), led by Umno won a resounding state elections victory in Johor, only to find that their chosen menteri besar candidate, Hasni Mohammad, was overlooked by the Johor palace and instead Onn Hafiz Ghazi took office.
This is not the first time political party nominees for the position of chief minister have been knocked back by their respective state palaces. Back in Terengganu, in 2008, there was a political impasse when the Sultan insisted Ahmad Said be chief minister over Umno’s choice, Idris Jusoh.
In 2009, the Raja of Perlis refused to swear in Shahidan Kassim as chief minister and swore in Md Isa Sabu instead.
In Selangor, in 2014, in what was called the Kajang Move, the Sultan refused to appoint then opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as chief minister, picking Azmin Ali, even though he didn’t have apparent support from the majority of assembly members.
- More -