Royals aware of public sentiments, but must be careful in intervention, says prince

Negri Sembilan prince Tunku Zain Al-Abidin believes the royal institution must tread carefully when dealing with national affairs. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Kamal Ariffin, August 8, 2015.

The royal institution is aware of public sentiment but must be "very careful" if it were to intervene in national affairs as any such act will linger on for generations, says Negri Sembilan prince Tunku Zain Al-Abidin.

"I know there are now people who are talking about petitioning to the conference of rulers. The institution is well aware of these issues. But they must be very careful in any intervention," he said during the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said that this was due to many key institutions losing the people's trust in the current national situation, while the royal institution was often seen as the “last resort”.

"If they take action, they can be accused of intervening, which is unconstitutional," Tunku Zain, the second son of the Negri Sembilan monarch, said.

"The royal institution predates the other institutions by several centuries. So they must be very careful, because future generations must account for what the ancestors do," he said.

Tunku Zain added that "time will tell" as to how the royal institution responds to the current socio political situation in the country.

"They are well aware. I guess time will tell as to how they respond," he said.

Recently, the Johor crown prince had been vocal in his criticism of Putrajaya's handling of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad issue, while Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had also stood firm in deciding the appointment of Mohamed Azmin Ali as menteri besar last year.

- TMI