Ex-Malaysian PM charged with sedition over royalty remarks about country's former king

Former prime minister of Malaysia and Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin (AFP)

Ex-Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin was charged with sedition Tuesday over remarks about the country's former king, his lawyer said.

The 77-year-old politician pleaded not guilty, his lawyer told reporters outside the court in the northern town of Gua Musang.

Supporters of the opposition leader cheered when they heard of his plea, an AFP journalist said.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, with a unique arrangement that sees the throne change hands every five years between the rulers of nine Malaysian states headed by centuries-old Islamic royalty.

The sedition charge stemmed from a speech Muhyiddin made ahead of by-elections this month, in which he questioned the monarch's 2022 decision to appoint his rival as premier following hotly contested polls.

The remarks are seen as an affront to Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who reigned from 2019 until January this year.

Anwar Ibrahim was appointed premier by the monarch following the 2022 election as he was able to form a coalition.

While chiefly ceremonial, the position of king is deeply respected in the Muslim-majority nation and the monarch in recent years has played an increasingly important role in bringing political stability.

Undermining royalty can be prosecuted under a colonial-era Sedition Act, with those convicted risking a fine and prison term of up to three years.

The Gua Musang court set Muhyiddin's next hearing for November 4, his lawyer said.