探求马来西亚君主在政治危机中的行事原则与功能

Analysing The Principles And Functions of The Malaysian Monarchy During Periods of Political Crisis

Abstract

本文主要探究君主在政治转型中的角色和功能。2018 年至 2022 年期间，政治 精英之权斗导致政权更迭，也形成了国阵、希盟和国盟“三角鼎立”的结构，但 没有出现政治暴力和影响社会秩序之事，乃可归于对君主与民主有所规范的联邦 宪法。政党和政治精英遵守宪法、尊重担任最高元首的君主仲裁。与此同时，多 党竞争演变为精英滥权和极化意识，也正在挑战社会的多元性，国民则将对政治 的失落感和忧惧转向了仰赖君主“定海神针”的作用，而本文也进一步反思其中 的潜在问题，即精英民主导致基层公民力量弱势，而太过依赖君主制抗衡精英可 能导致“权力的天平”倒向君主。

关键词：联邦危机，君主行事原则，君主制作用，反思民主

This article examines the relationship between Malaysia’s political development and the monarchy’s role, emphasizing the monarch’s influence in the political transformation process. Although the political situation from 2018 to 2022 was chaotic, society was relatively orderly, it is reflecting the monarchy’s function and role. In other words, while a power struggle among political elites resulted in a change of regime and led to the new structure of Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan, and Perikatan Nasional into confrontation, it did not lead to political violence and social disorder. This result can be attributed to the federal constitution of the country that regulates the systems of monarchy and democracy. Political parties and elites are willing to follow constitutional principles and respect the arbitration results of the Malay rulers, who serve as the supreme head of state. Additionally, multi-party competition has led to the elite’s abuse of power and the rise of ideological extremism, which challenges society’s diverse interests. As a result, people are increasingly shifting their frustrations and concerns about politics toward hoping monarch or Malay rulers act as a stabilizing force to maintain social order and curb extremism. However, this article also pays attention to the fundamental democratic dilemma: that overreliance on the monarchy as a counterweight to elite democracy could lead to an imbalance of power favouring the monarch. That also reflects a political reality of Malaysia: the dominance of elites in establishing democratic rules while grassroots citizen power remains weak.

Keywords: federal crisis, principles of monarchy, political elites, the role of monarchy in political transition of Malaysia, reflection of democracy