Malaysia charges ex-PM Muhyiddin with sedition over alleged remarks on royalty

27/8/2024 13:01

        Malaysia has charged opposition leader and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin with sedition for allegedly insulting the country's former king, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
        
        Muhyiddin, who led Malaysia for 17 months between 2020 and 2021, was charged at a court in the northeastern state of Kelantan with sedition over remarks made in a political speech this month. He pleaded not guilty, his lawyer said.
        
        Malaysia practices a unique form of monarchy, where the country's nine sultans take turns to be king every five years. The monarchy plays a largely ceremonial role and is held in deep respect.
        
        Negative remarks about royalty can be prosecuted under a colonial-era Sedition Act.
        
        In a political speech on Aug. 15, Muhyiddin had allegedly questioned the credibility of former King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah following Malaysia's general election in 2022, which resulted in a hung parliament, according to local media reports.