Malaysia’s new king Sultan Ibrahim signals strong backing for Anwar, warns MPs to ‘tread carefully’

His comments come after attempts at undermining Anwar’s position continued into the eleventh hour of the reign of Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, which ended on January 30. During Sultan Abdullah’s reign, three prime ministers were forced to leave office at the hands of parliamentarians vying for power.

Sultan Ibrahim, the 17th king in Malaysia’s unique rotational monarchy system, spoke on Monday at the opening of this year’s parliamentary session, his first address to lawmakers after ascending the throne on January 31 for his five-year term.

“I congratulate the Prime Minister and members of the administration of the Government for their good governance in managing the country,” Sultan Ibrahim said.

In his speech, the king said that the success or failure of the country is not solely on the shoulders of the prime minister but all members of parliament who have been entrusted by the Malaysian people to represent them in parliament.

“I would also like to emphasise that I will not entertain any request from any party that may compromise the country’s political stability,” the monarch added.

Anwar leads a loose coalition that includes the Malay nationalist Umno party, which had demonised Anwar for decades, and the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which is led by ethnic Chinese and is seen by the Malay electorate as a threat to their political dominance.

Those parties, alongside Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and parties from Borneo, set aside their differences after the 2022 elections to block the formation of a mono-ethnic, Islamist government led by the opposition Perikatan Nasional coalition.

Sultan Ibrahim, who hails from the industrialised shipping hub state of Johor, told federal lawmakers that his speech to them was more