THE fate of the country’s political future will rest with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after his meeting with Anwar Ibrahim today, said analysts.

One of them even suggested that Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah can consider proposing a unity government to put an end to the political impasse.

They, however, agreed that the king will most likely want to check Anwar’s claims that he has the support of the majority of lawmakers to form a new government.

They said the king has three options – to accept Anwar’s claims that he has the support of the majority, to urge lawmakers to come to a compromise and continue with the present government until the end of the term, and to advise Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to step down.

If the third option is picked, Muhyiddin can then advise the king to dissolve Parliament, they said.

“Alternatively, perhaps the Agong can play the role of peacemaker to resolve this conflict, and suggest the formation of a unity government,” said Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) analyst Azizuddin Mohd Sani.

He said the Agong could be the middleman in solving this political crisis.

“In politics, there is always a chance for compromise. How long do they want to fight? I feel the Agong can be the peacemaker here.

“And I feel the king can bring the lawmakers together to solve this crisis, unless of course Anwar has a large majority on his side.

“I think it will be better if the king calls in Muhyiddin, Anwar and all the other lawmakers, and perhaps put forth the idea of a unity government.

“The politicians will have to give their pledge not to cause further disunity until we solve the Covid-19 crisis, and until the end of the current term,” Azizuddin said.

Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) legal adviser Wan Ahmad Fauzi Wan Husain said he is confident the Agong will use his wisdom to check on Anwar’s claim of having the numbers.

“If it was the prime minister who was meeting the Agong to confirm that he has lost majority support in Dewan Rakyat, he can then advise the ruler to dissolve Parliament.

“But Anwar is not the prime minister. What will happen today is for him to produce the list of his supporters.

“The king will have to look and check on this claim and he can call in every lawmaker to appear before him to verify,” said Wan Fauzi.

Wan Fauzi, however, is clear that there will not be snap polls in the near future as the king will take the Covid-19 pandemic into consideration.

“If Anwar has the majority and Muhyiddin advises the ruler to dissolve Parliament, the king will surely look at the Covid-19 situation and advise the politicians to handle that issue first.

“Even if there is a change in government at this stage, it is still unclear if the economy will improve.

“The king could just call in all lawmakers and urge them to come to an understanding to retain the status quo until the end of the term.”

Floor test

Political scientist Azmil Mohd Tayeb said the king could also ask Anwar to prove his support on the floor of the Dewan Rakyat when Parliament resumes its sitting for the budget next month.

“Muhyiddin could be forced to step down through a lack of support in Dewan Rakyat, or through the failure of his budget bill.

“He could then call for snap polls but will surely blame Anwar for forcing an election in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) academic.

Elections at this time will benefit neither Perikatan Nasional nor Pakatan Harapan as turnout will be low due to Covid-19 fears.

“Voters will also be fed up with the political game played by the politicians.

“But I feel even then, Anwar will stand a better chance of winning if he can get the support of Umno and PH.”

For political analyst Awang Azman Awang Pawi, Anwar stands to lose his reputation if he fails to show that he has the majority support after making loud claims since last month.

“He is risking his political career. If he fails to show the majority support, his reputation will be badly affected.”

The Universiti Malaya lecturer added that the other factor in this issue is DAP’s support for Anwar, especially if he is relying on Umno to wrest power.

Awang Azman said there are several scenarios involving DAP, including if it will only support Anwar without being in the government.

Another analyst, Suffian Bujang, said the king will just push the issue back to Dewan Rakyat for a floor test on who has the majority support.

“I don’t think the king will want to dissolve Parliament now. He could take the wise move and ask the two of them to test their strength in Parliament.”

Constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari, meanwhile, said Muhyiddin should give up if it is proven that Anwar has the majority support.

He also said that the federal constitution states that the prime minister must step down if he has lost the confidence of lawmakers. – October 13, 2020.