For the best part of a year the country has been run by individuals who have demonstrated a deep capacity for treachery. Two serial back-stabbers prepared to betray not only their fellow political colleagues, but also the sacred trust of voters.

However, over the past few days they have taken their treachery to even more vile and dangerous levels, seeking to overthrow democracy itself and trample the Constitution and rule of law, by seizing authoritarian powers to destroy the rights and liberties of all Malaysians.

They have failed and in the process they have exposed their own fatal weaknesses and criminal intent. To call a bogus State of Emergency in order to by-pass Parliament and grasp authoritarian powers was nothing short of a coup attempt against the nation.

For obvious reasons the Constitution demands that Parliament must be called to vote in favour of calling an emergency, and yet the only reason ‘PM8’ and his chauffeur Azmin Ali wanted the state of emergency was to avoid Parliament and to get through a budget that Parliament would not vote for because they do not command support.

People suffering from Covid created by needless policking by them in Sabah are being ignored, however these schemers desperate to hang on to illegitimate power were prepared to cite the handful of daily cases in KL as their excuse to seize dictatorial powers across the country – and doubtless for ever more.

The ignoramous from Sarawak, Ali Biju, part of a group who call themselves ‘Azmin’s Men’, spelt out exactly how their thinking went. Without all this ‘destabilising politicking’ he explained the country could be run without problems of opposition. Ordinary people could go about their day as normal as long as they didn’t seek to protest the hijacking of their government by selfish crooks.

Welcome to the dictator’s dictum, “the trains will run on time”.

There are enough good folk in Malaysia and even amongst their own followers who were appalled at such selfish irresponsibility by desperate power-grabbers refusing to accept the game is up.

The former Attorney General Tommy Thomas spoke up to remind that the Constitution bars such proclamations without a proper parliamentary vote. The former Finance Minister Tengku Razali warned of the disastrous economic consequences of upturning democracy to keep an unelected, unstable, corrupted minority government in place

Even senior members of ‘PM8’s’ own party Bersatu spoke in confidence to say they could not support such a destruction of Malaysia’s institutions simply to support their own failing administration. This rash and dangerous plan had been executed by a handful of advisors and not put to the wider party they explained – and it would not have passed a vote.

And now, fatally, the appalling proposal has been ditched also by the Agong.

Sarawak Report has been reliably informed that the solid majority of the Council of Rulers meeting on Sunday voted firmly against PM8’s proposed Proclamation of a State of Emergency to save the political skins of two chancers who have upturned a government and destabilised their country and now want to prevent what they did being done back to them.

The logic of the Rulers and the Agong was entirely right, as Sarawak Report had observed prior to meeting. To anoint a dictatorship of this kind, consigning the constitution to the bin, would not only have destroyed the democracy and liberties of the people of Malaysia, it would have destroyed the role and influence of the self-same rulers who owe their positions to the same constitutional agreement.

Not only would the rulers have stirred disappointment and anger among the people, they would have handed their powers along with the rights of voters over to the Gang of Two. There would have been no stepping back from that and it would have heralded not only the end of democracy but the end of monarchy as well.

The Rulers arrived at the wise and correct decision for which Malaysians will have reason to be grateful. Their role is minimal within the constitution, however it exists to counter-balance the actions of rogue political operators in precisely the situation that pertains – that of a political emergency, not a national emergency.

Even Najib Razak in his darkest pre-election hour refrained from reaching for such powers (although enhanced by him) and with dignity faced his electoral fate. Not so Azmin Ali and Muhyiddin Yassin who were prepared to destroy their country to save themselves.

They have been exposed for what they are and foiled. ‘PM8’ has no option but to resign or be voted out by Parliament.

Then, the leader who claims to be able to form a majority in the house must be invited to attempt to do so as permitted by the Constitution.

After all, if Covid was the excuse being used to avoid a national election, the disgraced ‘PM8’ can hardly propose one now. There is a plain route to hand over the reins of power directly to the person who does commend the majority and he must do so now.

Malaysia has thankfully been united over this.