KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al- Mustafa Billah Shah does not need to wait for advice from Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to implement the National Operations Council (NOC).
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said given that the country was currently under emergency rule, the king's power had expanded compared to how it was.
He said this was the reason why the Agong could reject Muhyiddin's first request to implement a nationwide state of emergency last year.
"Right now, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is like the country's chief executive. He can address the current problems by handing out the relevant duties (through the NOC, also known by its Bahasa Malaysia acronym of Mageran) to those who are able to ensure that the Agong's decision will be carried out smoothly.
"There is no mention that the king must first get advice from the government or the prime minister," he said during an interview with local daily Sinar Harian today.
However, constitutional expert Prof Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi, when contacted, explained that the Agong was bound by the advice of the prime minister even in exercising his emergency powers, but with one condition.
"The prime minister, whose advice is binding on the king, must be a prime minister who has the confidence of the majority of the members of the Dewan Rakyat," he told the New Straits Times.
He said after several government-friendly members of parliament had reportedly retracted their support for Muhyiddin, people had questioned if the Pagoh MP still commanded majority support.
Commenting further on the implementation of NOC, Dr Mahathir said the council would be Malaysia's best bet in getting out of the current health, economic, social and political crises.
During the 1969 NOC that was set up following racial tension in the country, Dr Mahathir said the council had conducted its duties effectively despite him being a fierce critic of the then government.
Since the council comprised experts in various fields, Dr Mahathir said the NOC government at the time managed to resolve all key issues then.
"After a state of emergency was declared, the NOC was formed and chaired by (former premier) Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.
"The NOC managed to end the racial tension and had come up with the New Economic Policy that satisfied all segments of the population.
"Tun Razak was successful in getting his political opponents to cooperate. Our country was peaceful, in good shape and was on track for the next 50 years because of all the decisions made by the NOC," he said.
When pointed out to him that the 1969 racial tension was different to the current Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Mahathir said he agreed, adding however that "our problem now is bigger than (that in) 1969".
He said it was because of this that Malaysia now needed actual experts in order to resolve problems relating to the current crisis, instead of leaving them in the hands of politicians.
"Obviously politicians didn't want this because it means having to put their party's interests and (political) manifesto aside, but this is not the time for politics.
"I suggest that we prioritise the people and not our respective parties. Let's prioritise the country because we have resolve problems here."