Malaysian government will ‘defend’ royals against insults, PM Anwar says ahead of state polls

Last week, former leader Mahathir Mohamad was questioned by police for allegedly insulting royalty

PM Anwar’s declaration of his administration’s unwavering defence of the royal institution could be read as an effort to shore up his credentials among Malay voters

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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government would take “appropriate action” against any insults or threats towards the nation’s royal institution. Photo: EPA-EFE/Pool

Published: 7:14pm, 5 Jun 2023

Malaysia’s government on Monday warned it would take “appropriate action” against any insults or threats towards the nation’s royal institution, as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government gears up for a clutch of state elections that could be held as early as the end of July.

The current constitutional monarch, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, broke the political deadlock in the aftermath of polls last November, eventually picking Anwar as prime minister after a contest marked by deepening ethno-religious divisions.

Anwar has since been on a mission to build up his appeal among the Malay-Muslim majority who voted for his opposition, and experts say declaring his administration’s loyalty to the king may aid his pitch to the Malays.

Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim said the government would take “appropriate action” against any insults or threats towards the nation’s royal institution. Photo: dpa

“The government will defend and ensure appropriate action will be taken against any party that attempts to threaten our royal institution and the supremacy of our constitution,” Anwar said in a brief address at the king’s official birthday celebration at the national palace.

In 2019, the government laid out plans to amend laws to protect the country’s rulers from insults, following several arrests made against individuals who had publicly mocked the royals on social media.

Those plans, however, withered after a political coup that saw a change of government a year later.

Unlike neighbouring Thailand, Malaysia does not have a specific lese-majesty law, but it does have provisions under several laws that make it a crime to insult royalty.