Observers ask if the monarchy's reemergence can foster true democracy
King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah's role in supporting Malaysia's evolving democracy has moved beyond the purely ceremonial since his early accession in 2019. © Malaysia's Department of Information/AFP/Jiji
BANGKOK -- The ceremony commemorating Malaysian independence from Britain on Aug. 31 fully revealed the Southeast Asian nation's political turmoil.
King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah called for an end to political bickering to shield the country from the COVID-19 pandemic.
