Ex-Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin pleads not guilty to sedition for alleged remarks on royalty

KELANTAN, MALAYSIA: On Tuesday (27 August), former Malaysian Prime Minister and BERSATU president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin faced charges at the Sessions Court in Gua Musang, Kelantan, for making seditious remarks during the recent Nenggiri by-election.

He is the first former leader of Malaysia charged with sedition.

Muhyiddin, who is also the chairman of Malaysia’s opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN), pleaded not guilty when the charge was presented by Judge Nik Tarmizie Nik Shukri.

The charge, framed under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, carries a penalty of up to RM5,000 (approximately US$1,147) in fines, up to three years in prison, or both, upon conviction.

The accusation relates to a speech Muhyiddin delivered at a PN campaign event in Felda Perasu, Gua Musang, on 14 August.

His remarks prompted 29 police reports and a rebuke from the Pahang palace.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Umar Sarifuddin Jaafar and Nadia Izhar are handling the case, while Muhyiddin is represented by five lawyers: Amer Hamzah Arshad, Chetan Jethwani, Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, Mohd Nasir Abdullah, and Mariana Mat Kudin.

Umar Saifuddin requested a bail amount of RM20,000 (approximately US$4,592) and proposed additional conditions to prevent the accused from making public statements about the case.

Muhyiddin’s counsel argued that the RM20,000 bail was excessive and unnecessary, given that RM5,000 was sufficient and no additional restrictions were needed, as the issue was already public and all evidence had been provided.

The court has set bail at RM5,000 and scheduled the next case mention for 4 November.

Muhyiddin Allegedly Criticizes Sultan Abdullah’s Decision in 14 August By-Election Speech

During a by-election campaign speech on 14 August, Muhyiddin allegedly criticized the decision of the then-Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDP), Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, to appoint Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister following the 15th general election.

He questioned why he was not invited to be sworn in as prime minister despite having the support of 115 MPs.

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

In his remarks, Muhyiddin is alleged to have said, “At that time, once again I received support from 115 Members of Parliament who supported me. According to the Constitution, if I, as a Member of Parliament, received support from 114, plus myself, Muhyiddin Yassin, that makes 115.”

“There are 222 parliamentary seats. If divided by 2, what is it? 111… if you get more than 1, you can form a government. But I got 115. According to the Constitutional calculation, I already had more than enough to become Prime Minister. ”

“This is not to brag, but it’s a record in history. But somehow the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at that time did not invite me to the Palace to take the oath. Who was the Yang di-Pertuan Agong then? You understand, right? We don’t want to talk about anything bad, but to me, that was quite extraordinary… but it’s okay. Then the Unity Government was formed.”

In response, Tengku Mahkota Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, in a strong worded statement issued on 19 August criticised 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.

In an earlier Facebook post, 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.