Will Ismail Sabri be the second “backdoor” Prime Minister whose advice to the Yang di Pertuan Agong is rejected by the King?

Will Ismail Sabri be the second “backdoor” Prime Minister whose advice to the Yang di Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament during the monsoon and floods season is rejected by the King?

The first “backdoor” Prime Minister to have suffered this humiliation was Muhyiddin Yassin when he tried in October 2020 to evade a vote of confidence in Parliament by suspending Parliament with a proclamation of emergency on the ground of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement issued in Istana Negara on October 25, 2020, the Comptroller of the Royal Household Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was of the view that the government had managed the Covid-19 pandemic, which had entered the third wave in several parts of the country, well and effectively.

Ahmad Fadil said the King believed that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was capable of implementing policies and enforcement measures to contain the pandemic from escalating and spreading.

Ahmad said: “After deliberating and consulting with the Malay Rulers as well as taking into consideration the situation beleaguering the country, Al-Sultan Abdullah is of the view that the present government has managed to deal with the pandemic effectively.

“Al-Sultan Abdullah is also of the view that at the moment, there is no need for His Majesty to make an emergency proclamation nationwide or for any part of the country.”

I have said that the holding of 15th General Election during the season of monsoon and massive flood disasters regardless of the costs to property and human lives will be a valid and proper reason for the Yang di Pertuan Agong in consultation with the Malay Rulers to refuse consent for a dissolution of Parliament.

Does Ismail Sabri wants to act irresponsibly by asking the Yang Di Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament, when the challenge of a responsible Prime Minister is to minimise damage to property and loss of human lives?