KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Any action that needs to be taken against former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who has earned the ire of the Pahang palace will be handled by the authorities, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said today.

The Umno politician was asked to weigh in on the recent furore over his political rival from Bersatu who alleged to have made recent slanderous remarks against the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah while campaigning for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate in the Nenggiri state by-election last Friday.

"I am sure that with such a decree, the responsible parties will take it seriously, and see what needs to be done,” Mohamed Khaled replied briefly in a press conference at the Defence Ministry’s headquarters here this morning.

Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said 28 complaints against Muhyiddin have been received as of yesterday evening for allegedly touching on the 3Rs, national news agency Bernama reported.

The complaints were said to be about Muhyiddin’s speech allegedly questioning Sultan Abdullah’s credibility during his term as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Muhyiddin was said to have made the remarks in Felda Perasu, Kelantan on August 15, with videos of his speech still circulating on social media.

Sultan Abdullah’s son, Pahang Crown Prince Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, issued a strongly-worded statement through Istana Abdulaziz rebuking Muhyiddin for the latter’s remarks, describing them as deliberate and sarcastic criticism of his father that touched on sensitive issues involving the monarchy, religion, and race.