KUALA LUMPUR – Bersatu Supreme Council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan has called on the Conference of Rulers to urgently address what he described as the “disobedience” of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over the controversial royal addendum concerning former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house imprisonment.
In a strongly worded statement posted on his social media, the Tasek Gelugor MP accused Anwar of evading questions about the matter and said his repeated avoidance was an affront to the institution of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“Anwar continues to dodge questions regarding the royal addendum. This is not just a personal failing, it’s an act of treason against the monarchy. This behaviour opens the door to a constitutional crisis,” Wan Saiful said.
He then alleged that Anwar’s actions had led to “growing public concerns that royal decrees were being dismissed” and undermining the trust between the monarchy and the government.
On his Facebook post, he attached a video of reporters asking the prime minister questions relating to the royal addendum, which were left unanswered after Anwar waved and the shot cut to his car leaving the premises.
The controversy erupted after Najib’s legal team claimed that a royal decree had been issued, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.
However, the legal affairs division (BHEUU) of the Prime Minister’s Department has denied any record of such an order, maintaining that no formal notification had been received from the palace.
The BHEUU’s statement, issued yesterday, reinforced that all matters related to the Pardons Board had been processed in accordance with established legal procedures.
It further confirmed that no additional documents related to the case had been recorded in any official files, and that no communication had been received from the palace on this matter.
On January 6, the Court of Appeal granted Najib permission to seek a review of the supposed addendum, heightening the already intense scrutiny surrounding the matter.
“The key issue is whether the prime minister and the government can ignore a written decree from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, simply because the King has changed,” he said.
“Are we supposed to believe that the Prime Minister was unaware of this decree for an entire year? If that is the case, who is lying?”
“If the reason is that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has changed, does the government want to tell the people that royal decrees from the Malay Rulers have an ‘expiry date’? This risks making a mockery of the monarchy.”
He warned that the government’s failure to address the matter would have serious consequences for the monarchy and the nation’s constitutional integrity.
“This is an issue that affects the trust between the government and the monarchy. If left unresolved, it risks eroding respect for the authority of the rulers.
“It could lead to a dangerous precedent where royal decrees are ignored at will,” Wan Saiful added, and concluding his remarks by calling for an urgent discussion within the Conference of Rulers to “ensure that the sanctity of the monarchy is protected”. – January 11, 2025