Some say that the power of the King to grant a royal pardon is ‘absolute,’; that ‘no one can question it’. Is this correct?
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Have the four Sabah MPs lost their seats?
The facts emerging from Sabah get murkier by the hour. If their resignation has been accepted, then they will lose their seats. Yet, unless the Speaker follows the procedure in Article 49A, one cannot ‘automatically knock out' the four Sabah MPs. Truth will out.
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Should the Anwar Government implement Corruption Amnesty?
Corruption is enmeshed throughout the Government. It cannot be ripped out without damaging the nation. Can kleptocrats be allowed to return what they stole, and let off with a minor punishment? Could only the recalcitrant and the greedy be subjected to naming, shaming? Should their family and friends, who helped in corruption, be punished?
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Anwar’s long journey begins…
After a meteoric rise, and tragic incarceration, Malaysia's new, and 10th prime minister Anwar, is poised to lead. But his path is strewn with hidden pitfalls and ripples with hissing vipers. Difficult days lie ahead.
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What happens when there is a ‘hung parliament’?
If no party, or coalition, has the minimum number of 112 MPs, then the King is required, by legal convention, to invite the leader of the coalition with the largest bloc of MPs, to form a Government.
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How does the Malaysian anti-hopping law work? Can it be manipulated?
Will the anti-hopping law stop MPs from jumping to different coalitions? Are there loopholes in the Anti Hopping law? Can the laws be manipulated? How should political parties stop frogs?
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Between elections, how many times can the King appoint a prime minister – or a State Ruler, a Chief Minister?
How many times can the monarch 'exercise' his constitutional, 'appointing discretion'? My view is: 'Once'. Why is that?
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Was the King wrong in refusing to proclaim an Emergency?
Can the King act against the Cabinet’s advice?
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Can the King refuse to appoint a Prime Minister chosen by the MPs?
The answer is ‘No’. His Majesty the King cannot ignore, delay or refuse the appointment of a Prime Minister, if the candidate has the support of the majority of the MPs in the House of Representatives.
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Was the Speaker right to refer the Motion of No Confidence to a Minister of the Crown?
Last week, the Speaker of the Malaysian Parliament declared that to table, in Parliament, a Motion of No Confidence against the PM, the motion needed the 'permission' of the Law Minister. Since when has any Speaker abdicated his duties to a minister? Is the Speaker's role subordinate to that of a minister?
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