Ridiculous is word to describe the call of the Kedah Association of Royalty to ban the entry of DAP chairman Karpal Singh to Perak for being rude to Sultan Azlan Shah.
Its president Tengku Zainol Tengku Yahya said the Malay Rulers are pillars (in the society) that have to be protected, so Karpal's outburst against the Sultan of Perak is unacceptable.
He described Karpal's outlandish remarks as uncivilised and could influence others to make seditious remarks against the Rulers and called on him to apologise to the Sultan.
Tengku Zainol would do the royalty good by keeping his mouth shut. His remark against Karpal might be perceived as the royalty efforts to restore feudalism and monarchy in Malaysia. He should be reminded that Malaysia is a constitutional democracy and the role of royalty is only symbolic in the constitution.
It has been given some role in the constitution but the execution of its responsibility must be consistent with the laws. Hence, any action taken by any party, if not consistent with the constitution, can be challenged in court. The judicial process allows for the necessary check-and-balance of the system.
The main pillars of the Malaysian democracy are the constitution, the parliament, the judiciary, the constitutional monarchy and the democratic process of elections. No one is above the law.
To ban Karpal from entering Perak runs contrary to his constitutional rights to move freely throughout the country. Tengku Zainol is ridiculing Malaysians' intelligence by assuming what we are brainless parrots who could be easily influenced to do something wrong. Most of the criticisms against the decision of the Perak Sultan to dismiss the MB and the popularly elected government are made independently, without the influence of Karpal.
Karpal should not even be credited as the person who started the criticism. Many constitutional experts have sounded the same alarm bell.