Former Malaysia PM Muhyiddin Yassin to face sedition charges over PM appointment remarks

MALAYSIA: Former Malaysian prime minister and Bersatu president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, is set to become the first-ever former leader of the country to face sedition charges.

Muhyiddin, who also serves as the chairman of Perikatan Nasional, will be charged under the Sedition Act at the Gua Musang Sessions Court on Tuesday (27 Aug).

This development was announced by Bersatu Information Committee member Badrul Hisham Shaharin in a Facebook post on Monday (26 Aug).

“Muhyiddin will be charged at the Gua Musang Sessions Court tomorrow under the Sedition Act.”

“The prosecution using the Sedition Act is a political act, and Muhyiddin is being charged for speaking the truth,” Badrul Hisham stated.

The charges stem from remarks made by Muhyiddin during the recent Nenggiri by-election.

His comments, made during a campaign speech at Felda Perasu on 15 August, allegedly questioned the decision of the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, to appoint Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister after the 15th general election.

The video of Muhyiddin’s speech went viral and sparked widespread condemnation.

Tengku Mahkota Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, criticized Muhyiddin for belittling his father’s role in the decision-making process.

Tengku Hassanal described Muhyiddin’s statement as “immature,” suggesting that it reflected an inability to accept not being appointed prime minister.

“His statement also appears immature, as if he still cannot accept that he was not appointed as the prime minister,” Tengku Hassanal said.

He also noted that the comments seemed intended to undermine public confidence in the Malay Rulers and to create division among the people.

Muhyiddin has defended his remarks, stating that they were merely factual and that he had no intention of insulting the royal institution of Malay Rulers.

He explained that his campaign speech focused on events related to the formation of the government after the general election and the subsequent challenges faced by the public due to government policies.

Following the circulation of the video, at least 29 police reports were lodged against Muhyiddin, leading to an investigation.

On 20 August, Muhyiddin provided his statement to the police, alongside 115 statutory declarations that had been submitted to Istana Negara on 21 November 2022.