Star Online - Silence is golden on palace move (extracts):
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There has been an uneasy silence among the main political players in Kelantan over the dramatic revocation of titles by the Sultan of Kelantan.
It was a mini earthquake because of the personalities affected and also because Kelantan is one state where the palace bond with the people is still very strong. [...]
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was stripped of his DK (Darjah Kerabat Al-Yunus) title, has not said a word, unlike when he took to his blog to air his views after returning his awards to the Selangor palace. But Dr Mahathir is a man of many surprises and it is best to never say never when it comes to him. [...]
Dr Mahathir had used the Kelantan Umno leaders to punish the state after it fell to PAS in 1990. The former premier had pulled every trick out of the hat to embarrass the then Kelantan Sultan Ismail Petra, and there was even a plot in 1993 to replace the Sultan with his cousin.
Time has not healed the wounds and several Umno personalities from that era are still persona non grata with the Kelantan palace.
Ties between the palace and Umno only began to improve after Dr Mahathir stepped down in 2003. [...]
... alarm bells only went off after Dr Mahathir was confirmed as Pakatan Harapan’s prime minister candidate early this year. Rightly or wrongly, the palace side began to see danger ahead.
The first danger sign was the fact that Tengku Muhammad Petra was closely associated with the 1993 plot to topple Sultan Ismail Petra, the father of the King. Tengku Muhammad Petra has not been forgiven for his role in the plot and is seen as a traitor to the throne.
The second danger sign centred around Dr Mahathir’s comeback bid. He was widely seen as the mastermind behind the earlier plot and the concern is that he may attempt the same trick if Pakatan wins and he becomes prime minister again.
The third had to do with Pakatan’s mentri besar candidate Husam, who is in the bad books of the palace. He is labouring under a trust deficit with the palace and was dropped from the state exco after the 2013 general election because of that.
In the minds of the palace advisers, the coming together of all these old enemies seemed like another potential plot brewing against the throne. As a result, the axe came down in a pre-emptive strike to stop them from advancing any further.
It was a mini earthquake because of the personalities affected and also because Kelantan is one state where the palace bond with the people is still very strong. [...]
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was stripped of his DK (Darjah Kerabat Al-Yunus) title, has not said a word, unlike when he took to his blog to air his views after returning his awards to the Selangor palace. But Dr Mahathir is a man of many surprises and it is best to never say never when it comes to him. [...]
Dr Mahathir had used the Kelantan Umno leaders to punish the state after it fell to PAS in 1990. The former premier had pulled every trick out of the hat to embarrass the then Kelantan Sultan Ismail Petra, and there was even a plot in 1993 to replace the Sultan with his cousin.
Time has not healed the wounds and several Umno personalities from that era are still persona non grata with the Kelantan palace.
Ties between the palace and Umno only began to improve after Dr Mahathir stepped down in 2003. [...]
... alarm bells only went off after Dr Mahathir was confirmed as Pakatan Harapan’s prime minister candidate early this year. Rightly or wrongly, the palace side began to see danger ahead.
The first danger sign was the fact that Tengku Muhammad Petra was closely associated with the 1993 plot to topple Sultan Ismail Petra, the father of the King. Tengku Muhammad Petra has not been forgiven for his role in the plot and is seen as a traitor to the throne.
The second danger sign centred around Dr Mahathir’s comeback bid. He was widely seen as the mastermind behind the earlier plot and the concern is that he may attempt the same trick if Pakatan wins and he becomes prime minister again.
The third had to do with Pakatan’s mentri besar candidate Husam, who is in the bad books of the palace. He is labouring under a trust deficit with the palace and was dropped from the state exco after the 2013 general election because of that.
In the minds of the palace advisers, the coming together of all these old enemies seemed like another potential plot brewing against the throne. As a result, the axe came down in a pre-emptive strike to stop them from advancing any further.
I have to admit I wasn't even aware of Mahathir's plot to in 1993 to replace the Sultan with his cousin, though I did vaguely remember some brouhaha in the NE state.
The above allegation followed PAS' landslide state election victory in 1990 when UMNO was wiped out from the state's political scene.
Some suggested that HRH Sultan of Kelantan at that time had supported his cousin Ku Li, who was badly "done by" by a certain person, wakakaka. Allegedly the royal nod was enough to send PAS' political fortune soaring.
I wonder whether the alleged plot to wrest the throne from HRH Sultan Kelantan for his cousin in 1993 was a payback for the 1990 loss by UMNO? No wonder HRH withdrew the invitation to Mahathir when he was to be installed as the Agong.
Mahathir's difficult relationship with the Sultans won't affect his standing among the Chinese as much as it would the Malays.
