CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS IN MALAYSIA : UMNO VERSUS SULTANS

Abstract

The politics of post-Independence Malaysia have witnessed the rise of many political parties and one party which has emerged as the dominant political party is the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). UMNO is a contemporary political institution which was formed at the height of Malay nationalism in the post-war years. The sultans belong to the traditional Malay political system which existed since the 14th century. The sultans have been the symbols of Malay unity and protectors of their special positions. The two political institutions have co-existed for the past forty-seven years and the relationship between them was amicable until the past decade. Conflicts had accumulated and the constitutional crisis of 1993 signified the breakdown of this relationship. This academic exercise will uncover the 1993 constitutional crisis and analyse the significant issues of the crisis. One important question this exercise hopes to address is the impact of the crisis on certain key features of the Malay political culture and system. This is because the crisis marked an unprecedented move by UMNO to use legal means to discipline the sultans for their misbehaviour and such a move would spell certain ramifications for the relationship between the sultans and the Malays, especially on way the Malays perceive their sultans. This exercise also seeks to assess the future position of the sultans in the Malay political system.