PERIKATAN Nasional (PN) chairperson Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has submitted 114 statutory declarations (SDs), in addition to his own, to the police as part of an investigation into allegations that he insulted the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA) Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah following the 15th General Election (GE15) in November 2022.
Alongside these declarations, Muhyiddin also provided a letter from the private secretary to Sultan Abdullah confirming receipt of the declarations on Nov 21, 2022.
The media were later shown a copy of Muhyiddin’s SD to the palace dated the same day which included 51 SDs from PN and PAS MPs as well as additional SDs from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Malaysia (KDM), 10 Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs, and two independent MPs.
The SDs from PN and PAS were distinct because PN had contested under the PAS logo in Terengganu and Kelantan. However, the detailed breakdown of these MPs and their signatures was not provided to the media.
These statutory declarations were collected shortly after GE15, which resulted in a hung Parliament.
Initially, GPS and GRS supported Muhyiddin, but later shifted their backing to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim following advice from Sultan Abdullah to form a “unity government”. BN MPs were persuaded by coalition chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to support Anwar.
Moreover, Muhyiddin had previously declined an offer to form a unity government with Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH). The SDs and accompanying letters were submitted as part of a police probe into claims that Muhyiddin had insulted the former King by highlighting his lack of invitation to form a government despite having 115 MPs’ support including his own.
During a speech in Felda Perasu, Kelantan, on Aug 14, Muhyiddin questioned why he was not invited to the palace for swearing-in, referencing Sultan Abdullah’s Pahang origins. He later emphasised that his comments were factual and not intended to insult the monarchy.
“It’s not that I want to bring up the past but it is recorded history. But I don’t know how… the King back then didn’t invite me to the palace to get sworn in. Who was the previous Agong? It’s (from) Pahang lah,” Muhyiddin was reported as saying.
Furthermore, Muhyiddin asserted that his remarks at a ceramah in Nenggiri were meant to clarify his position and not to demean the royalty. He reiterated that he had never incited public animosity toward the constitutional monarchy and had congratulated Anwar on his appointment as PM on Nov 24, 2022.
“I only stated facts about 115 SDs from MPs that gave confidence in me to be appointed as PM after GE15. There is not a single word in my speech that insults the royalty or questions the decision of the YDPA at the time,” he added.
Muhyiddin stressed his continued loyalty to the constitutional monarchy and clarified that he was not seeking the position of PM. – Aug 21, 2024
Main photo credit: Bernama
