The 1983 Constitutional Crisis In 1983 the government proposed amendments to the Constitution which for the first time brought the Rulers openly into conflict with the government and with UMNO, the party which had claimed to be the pro tectors of the R ulers since th e time of the M alayan Union struggle.89 The proposed amendments altered the provisions with respect to the King's assent to bills d. [...] 104 The ability of the government to mount sufficient public support for a change to the assent provisions that would more clearly limit the powers of the King and, at least through an oral assurance, the powers of the Rulers, indicated a change in Malay society with respect to the importance of the Rulers.105 It suggested a decreasing importance of the Rulers as a symbol of, and in the protect io. [...] The Proposed Amendments In response to the Gomez incident there were calls for steps to be taken to remove the Rulers' immu nity.124 Within weeks of the first reports of the Gomez incident amendments to the provisions of the constitution concerning the immunity of the Rulers were being drafted.125 Newspapers carried reports of support for the Government's strong stand on the Gomez incident and for. [...] The Struggle for Power The governmen t argued that the amendm ents to the Constitution in response to the Gomez incident, by removing the immun ity of the Rulers, were a step tow ards increased demo cracy in Malaysia.173 Viewed in their broader context the amendments were part of an inevitable struggle for power between the executive branch of government and the Rulers.174 The removal of the Ruler. [...] Three of the five judges of the Special Cou rt are the Lord President and the Chief Justices of the High Courts who are appointed at the behest of the Prime Minister.178 The proceedings, civil or criminal, can only be undertaken with the consent of the Attorney General, and, in the context of criminal proceedings, expose a Ruler to the potential loss of his position as Ruler.
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