He made a clear, conditional promise to Malaysians few months ago: if a certain prisoner were allowed to serve the rest of his sentence from the comfort of his home, he would step down from his government post.
Everyone knew that condition would eventually be met—it was only a matter of when.
For weeks, his rivals taunted him, cheekily asking when he would vacate his seat.
When the day finally came, he walked away.
He kept his word, refusing to cling to power or hide behind a hundred excuses.
For a brief moment, even his critics called him a principled politician.
Then, within 24 hours, the narrative flipped.
Suddenly, his resignation was branded as treason.
Their logic?
Because the house arrest stemmed from a royal pardon by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA), stepping down in protest supposedly questioned the King’s authority.
By that twisted standard, every practising lawyer in Peninsular Malaysia is a traitor too.
Just days ago, the Malaysian Bar filed a judicial review in the High Court challenging that very same Pardons Board decision for PM6.
Yet, if we want to talk about challenging royal authority, look no further than Negeri Sembilan.
Almost a month after swearing an oath of allegiance to the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, the Mentri Besar and 10 Exco members backed a proclamation to depose him.
They took the fight to both the High Court and the Federal Court, directly challenging the statutory powers of the very Ruler they had just pledged to serve—a move aimed at removing him from the throne entirely.
In medieval times, the punishment for trying to unseat a reigning monarch would have been unmentionable.
So if a peaceful resignation is "treason," what do you call trying to dethrone a Ruler in court?
The ultimate irony?
The very party screaming "treason" over a minister keeping his promise is the exact same party behind the Mentri Besar and those 10 Excos.
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