Earlier Sarawak Report had questioned the Agong’s hare-brained plan, suggested by his bosom buddies in Abu Dhabi (the ones who owe 1MDB around $6.5 billion in stolen money) to inject 500,000 Malaysians with an unlicensed drug for their vaccine trials.

The Director of Health shot down that stratagem only to now discover another even more outrageous caper has taken place behind his back, according to a devastating expose by the Asia Sentinel today that has gone viral.

The Agong, who plainly reckons he runs the country – understandably since he personally appointed a prime minister with no majority and then declared a state of emergency to keep him there – has apparently taken the vaccination of those who matter (his pals) into his own hands, flouting the law in the process and distributing elite ‘Vaccine Passports’ printed by the Ministry of Health, but not yet authorised by the government.

“The king and presumably his entourage are said by the sources to have been vaccinated as a favour with the Sinopharm vaccine in the UAE.. The vaccine has not been approved in Malaysia and is therefore illegal.

Sultan Abdullah, the sources say, was given an additional 2,000 doses for his family and friends to take home to Malaysia. With all of the Sultan’s family inoculated by two physicians … the excess vaccines were used for business partners and friends. The remainder was offered to Muhyiddin and other ministers – all of whom declined, as they were awaiting the Pfizer vaccine in a few weeks.

“The problem started when he instructed that the Ministry of Health issue the yellow booklets to show these people had been vaccinated and possibly allowing them to travel to countries which would accept the booklet,” the source said. “Anyway, they would have peace of mind that they were less likely to get Covid than the average kampong dweller.”

“The Ministry had issued about 200-plus booklets to the King’s family and friends and others when the Director General of Health, Noor Hisham, stopped it upon being warned that it was criminal as the Chinese vaccine had not been approved by the government.” [read more in the Asia Sentinel]

This news has perhaps not surprised many Malaysians, only 3% of whom have been vaccinated so far, despite some RM17 billion having been assigned at the last bloated budget to pay for jabs.

MPs have already themselves been vaccinated with the gold standard Pfizer vaccine, yet the Agong’s administration still declines to recall Parliament.

Apart from that, in Malaysia only front-liners and those over 80 have so far qualified to be immunised as the country staggers through ‘Phase 1’ of the vaccination programme. The vaccine procurement minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, has explained that this is because ‘rich countries’ have grabbed all the vaccines first … leaving taxpayers to wonder why their not inconsiderable RM17 billions failed to temp a seller and if not on vaccines where that money went, as the coup coalition boss PM Mahiaddin has now announced he’s out of cash?

All this has come at a time of terrifying spike statistics as after a year of punitive lockdowns the country appears to have lost control of the situation, given the slow roll out of the vaccine (for most people). Sarawak is particularly badly affected as are all the impoverished areas with poor sanitation and close quarter living.

Help is touted to be on its way with a new consignment of jabs heading out to these lowly regions. However, it is not Pfizer or even Sinopharm that has been offered but Sinovac for the common people.

Khairy has somewhat glaringly neglected to highlight the rather unpromising statistics that have emerged for the at least licensed Sinovac, which indicate it is only 50% effective… compared to over 95% for all the other main contenders on the market, such as Pfizer, received by most of the MPs of a Parliament that is nonetheless banned from sitting on grounds of Covid.*

One assumes, given its border-line efficiency, that Sinovac is on the market fairly cheap. Malaysians are therefore entitled to wonder at what cost these limited doses now on offer for the common tax-paying public were procured and where exactly all the rest of the vaccine money has been going?

According to Asia Sentinel’s well-connected sources “at least some vaccine procurement [has] seemingly diffused among competing parties thought to be aligned with top politicians”. However, answers are not to be had since the ‘Emergency Government’ is no longer subjecting itself to scrutiny on matters such as spending or procurement – thanks to the latest ‘emergency ordinance‘ sanctioned by the Agong.

Meanwhile, will ‘kampung folk’ be warned about the third class nature of the jab they’re being offered as they bare their trusting arms to hard-working frontline medics, who would dearly wish to be injecting something better? The present propaganda indicates not.

It leaves onlookers wondering whether the Agong himself will be vaccinating his valuable polo pony collection next and with something rather smarter?  After all, princes plainly come first, then friends and family (of all ages) – presumably next will be their more prized possessions, including these famed valuable pets.

The Agong’s hundred or so Argentinian premium polo ponies are all housed in air conditioned stables in his Pekan palace – and are therefore already rather more comfortably accommodated than the vast majority of his subjects.

One would have to be on substances, as close associates have advised Sarawak Report, to imagine these creatures would not be fully taken care of when it comes to Covid.

*updated – Khairy himself we note has gamely also opted for Sinovac (putting himself ahead of the queue) unlike most fellow MPs who took Phizer.