Istana Kelantan sekali lagi berkrisis dengan kerajaan PAS Kelantan. Ia berikutan penarikkan balik gelaran bintang kepada dua exco PAS. Menurut khabar, langkah itu diambil kerana Sultan agak murka kerana exco PAS tersebut tidak mengizinkan Sultan mendapatkan sebidang tanah. Bagaimanapun pihak istana menfaikan itu sebagai punca.

Krisis itu menjadi hangat lagi bila kesatuan pihak di raja membuat lapuran polis ekoran tindakkan naib ketua pemuda PAS, En Zulkifli Yakob membuat kenyataan akhbar yang merungsingkan istana. Kenyataan itu menyebut PAS akan melancarkan kempen untuk mengubah perlembagaan jiika Sultan tidak membeli sebab kenapa gelaran bintang itu mahu ditarik balik.

Krisis ini menggambarkan pihak istana seperti sengaja mahu berkonfrontasi dengan kerajaan negeri. Sejak Ku Li bermesra dengan Umno, beberapa kejadian yang pelik-pelik berlaku yang melibatkan istana bermasam muka. Tetapi ia tidak bertahan lama.

Pada tahun 1992 Sultan 'melarikan' sebuah kereta mewah kerana pihak kastam terlalu lembab memproses kemasukkan kereta itu sehingga beliau pergi ke kargo LTAB Subang dan mengambilnya sendiri. Pihak kastam mahu mengenakan duti, tetapi Sultan berpendapat beliau terkecuali. Kes itu terselesai tanpa pergaduhan tetapi akhbar tidak pula menyiarkan siapa yang salah.

Baru-baru ini satu majlis hiburan diadakan di negeri CSWK itu yang menjemput penyanyi wanita mencetuskan kontroversi. Tetapi kisah itu perlahan-lahan lenyap sendiri.

Komen saya? Kalau dah asyik tidak menjadi tidak perlu mencuba acap-kali. Nampak sangat konfrontasi akan merugikan diri sendiri. Memang sultan mempunyai keistimewaan, tetapi itu bukan lesen untuk melakukan semua perkara sewenang-wenang. Sabar itu separuh daripada iman dan berbincang lebih baik dari berperang kerana banyak mata yang memandang.... Jangan kita diketawakan hanya kerana sebiji dua bintang.

-MSuri-

Source: The Singapore Straits Times

1st February 2001

Kelantan palace and PAS entangled in another spat

Police probe into party's statements against Sultan

By Leslie Lau
IN KUALA LUMPUR

THE longstanding uneasy relationship between the Kelantan palace and the Party Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) government of the state has once again come to the fore following the withdrawal by the Sultan of two state awards he had given to two state leaders.

This has resulted in another spat between the palace and the state government, with strong accusations being hurled at each other, a rare occurrence because of traditional Malay deference to royalty.

The latest row began two weeks ago when the Sultan withdrew awards he had given to Mr Takiyiddin Hassan and Mr Mohamed Daud, both members of PAS' state executive council.

No reason was given for the withdrawal, but it is learnt that it was done to show the Sultan's displeasure over the two leaders' opposition to a palace request for a piece of state land to be ceded to him.

The palace has refuted the allegation that the withdrawals were linked to the request for land.

To up the ante in the tussle, the Kelantan Royalty Association lodged a report with the police on Tuesday over a press statement by PAS Youth's state deputy chief, Mr Zulkifli Yacob, in which he had issued an ultimatum to the palace over the withdrawal of the awards.

Mr Zulkifli had said that PAS was prepared to launch a nationwide campaign to amend the Constitution with regard to the special privileges of Malay rulers if the Sultan did not explain why he withdrew the awards.

Police say they will proceed with investigations to see if such statements had 'seditious elements that can stir feelings of dissatisfaction among the people for the Sultan'.

'The withdrawal of the awards is an insult to the people of Kelantan,' said PAS Youth chief Mahfuz Omar.

He said his party did not wish to tarnish the image of the Malay rulers.

'We want to safeguard the institution of Malay rulers. The Sultan must, therefore, explain his actions,' he said.

PAS leaders in Kota Baru, the state capital, say the flap over the awards is just the latest incident in which the palace is attempting to exert unwarranted influence over the state's administration.

Since PAS took over the east coast state in 1990, it has frequently faced off with some form of palace intrusion over various administrative matters, including the appointment of civil servants and other state leaders.

Unlike in other Malay states, the appointment of top state civil servants must have the palace's consent under the state constitution as part of a vestige of British colonial provisions.

The relationship between the palace and the PAS state government had started on a warm note in 1990 when PAS was in alliance with Semangat 46, an offshoot of the Umno led by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the Sultan's uncle.

The Sultan's support for the PAS-Semangat 46 alliance was critical in the opposition wresting control of the state.

But since Tengku Razaleigh returned to the Umno fold in 1996, the relationship has become contentious once again.

--

Row latest in a series

KUALA LUMPUR - Sultan Ismail Petra of Kelantan has never veered far from controversy - the latest row with the state government is just the latest in a series that has caught public attention.

In 1992, the Sultan personally drove away a Lamborghini sports car from the Subang airport cargo terminal without paying the RM2.1-million (S$970,000) duty imposed by Customs officials there.

The Sultan was apparently unhappy that the car had not been released to his officials and had decided to collect the car himself.

The federal government then demanded that the duty be paid but the Sultan insisted that he was entitled to an exemption.

It has still not been publicly revealed whether the amount has been paid, with jailed leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was Finance Minister then, telling Parliament that the issue had been settled.

Ever since his uncle, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, returned to the Umno fold in 1996 the Sultan has regularly been at odds with the Party Islam SeMalaysia state government.

Last October, he defied a state ban on public performances by women singers. --Leslie Lau

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