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 ©The
Malaysian Insider (Used by permission)
KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — In more than 30 years of politics, Karpal Singh, the
veteran DAP chairman and Bukit Gelugor MP, has made stridency and sharpness of
his legal knowledge a trademark of his political battles.
But his comments this week about the Perak Sultan, which some say is an insult
to Malaysia’s revered royalty but others call a valid point, is forcing DAP’s
partners to deal with something they would rather not handle as they try to
forge a coalition solid enough to take power.
Crucially, Umno will take advantage and attempt to use the issue to drive a
wedge between the secular DAP and its fundamentalist partners in Pakatan Rakyat.
And even now that Umno has instigated a police investigation against him for
sedition, Karpal Singh is standing his ground.
To every reporter who has asked for his comment, his one-liner has been “I stand
by what I have said and it is purely a legal matter.”
He has also repeatedly pointed out that what he said was that “the sultan has no
jurisdiction when it comes to the state’s administration.”
The controversy stemmed from Perak Menteri Besar Nizar Jamaluddin’s attempt to
remove Datuk Jamry Sury, an Umno supporter, from his position as Perak Religious
Department director. The sultan stepped in to prevent the transfer, and ordered
the Umno man’s reinstatement.
As far as Umno is concerned, when Karpal Singh questioned the sultan’s powers he
was questioning Malay rights.
Umno appears to be exploiting the issue to not just cause a split among their
rivals, but to actually try to unite Malays behind the party.
Some in PAS seem to agree with Umno’s position that Karpal Singh had insulted
the sultan.
“We will not compromise when it comes to the special position of the Malays or
the sultans,” a PAS official said, adding that the Islamic party had been put in
a difficult position because it did not want be seen to be in confrontation with
the Malay rulers.
Many in the Islamic party also find it hard to back Karpal Singh, as they still
remember his famous line years ago in which he said “over my dead body an
Islamic state will be formed.”
So far the DAP leadership is taking a cautious approach on the issue, mindful of
the fact that racial sensitivities are being stoked.
“What should be remembered is that Umno members in Terengganu supporting Datuk
Idris Jusoh carried banners which were far more insulting of the sultan. So why
the double standard?” a senior DAP official told The Malaysian Insider.
The PKR has also stayed out of the controversy, choosing not to fall into any
quagmire, as Anwar Ibrahim, its de facto leader, works towards building a
partnership between the mainly Chinese DAP and the mainly fundamentalist PAS.
Until now, the controversy has been purely political. There are no clear signs
yet of how the Malay grassroots will respond.
A letter in The Star newspaper from a Malay reader may give some pointers as to
where some Malays stand on the issue.
The writer, Mohamed Nooraini from Ampang, defended Karpal Singh in his letter.
“The issue raised by Karpal Singh is about the transfer of a state officer
attached to the Jabatan Ugama Perak...Karpal raised the legal aspect of the
sultan’s action. He did not question the right of the sultan per se as provided
in the Constitution.”
Over the next few days, it will become clearer if more agree or disagree with
Mohamed.
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