Malaysia’s king marks end of ‘honeymoon’ with sweet gift to anti-corruption chief: ‘go catch the bees’

The monarch gifted the honey to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki on Monday, during a 30-minute meeting at the national palace, according to the king’s Facebook post.

He reiterated that fighting corruption would be among his priorities throughout his reign.

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“As I said previously, my honeymoon is over, now go catch the bees,” King Ibrahim told Azam as he presented the gift, which he said symbolised the end of the phase.

The monarch in March said he would begin his “real way of ruling” once his reign reached the two-month mark.

The role of the king, while mostly ceremonial, has become increasingly important in determining who holds power in the Southeast Asian nation that has seen prime ministers hold the job for an average of less than two years since 2018.

Ahead of his ascension, the king shared his plans to clamp down on corruption and proposed that the MACC report directly to him.