With the rejection by Malaysia’s King of a controversial proposal put forth by the government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to declare a state of emergency in the country, a move that many thought was aimed at ensuring suspension of Parliament to avoid a vote that may have seen the fall of the government, Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim may yet get a chance to lead the country.

The emergency proposal was mooted soon after Mr Anwar, who leads the 91-member Pakatan Harapan coalition, claimed he had the support of 120 MPs and met the King earlier this month to stake his claim. While that meeting did not lead either to an invitation from the monarch, or clarity on where Mr Anwar would get the requisite additional numbers, it certainly set the cat among the pigeons for it provoked Mr Muhyiddun to propose emergency powers for reining in the coronavirus epidemic, a move even his allies in the ruling coalition termed disproportionate and unjustified, arguing that there was no breakdown of law and order to compel the extreme step.

Mr Muhyiddin’s government was slammed by civil society groups and one former Minister termed the proposal as “killing a few rats using a bomb”. The recommendation forced consultations between the King and the other Malaysian rulers between whom the crown rotates, placing the monarchy in the position of having to adjudicate what was clearly a political rather than a public health question.

The rejection of the proposal on Sunday was widely hailed in the country, with one Opposition leader saying the decision showed the “constitutional monarchy proves to be an important bulwark of parliamentary democracy in Malaysia”. Citizens too weighed in on social media under a hashtag that translates as Long Live the King.

With Mr Muhyiddun thus thwarted by the King, Malaysia faces three possible scenarios. The first is that his government, even if it is reduced to a minority, could bumble along with selective, issue-based support from other groupings.

While such a government will be fragile, leaders of some parties have expressed support for the idea, saying that critical issues like the Budget and expenditure to tackle Covid could be cleared by Parliament if their points of view are accommodated in the proposals. The other possibility is that Mr Anwar, who has all along maintained he has the support of 120 MPs, could triumph on the floor of Parliament, thus giving Malaysia a new government and Prime Minister.

The third possibility is that the country may be forced into fresh elections, a prospect many Malaysians may be uncomfortable with, as political campaigning could lead to a rise in virus cases, as was seen immediately after provincial elections in the state of Sabah in September when an exponential surge was reported.