On July 20, Malaysia crowned its seventeenth sultan live on television. Ibrahim Iskandarruler of Johor and one of the richest men in the country. The ruler was sworn in six months ago and, as per the rules of the sultanate, his power will be “temporary” and “rotating”. In fact, the Malaysian monarchy (as well as one of its most obvious manifestations, the inauguration rite), has evolved through peculiarities that cannot be found in other similar institutions of our time and are very interesting to discover.
Five years
At the coronation of the new Sultan of Malaysiaon July 20, 2024, was attended by 700 select guests, including the much-talked-about Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah and King Hamad Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain, as reported by Abc News. The ceremony, followed by a banquet, took place at the Royal Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Istana Negara, which is also the official residence of the “Yang di Pertuan Agong” (the sultan’s official title, meaning “He who is made lord”). The sultan, however, will not rule until his death, but for five years. This is one of the characteristics that make the Malaysian Crown unique in the world. After gaining independence from Great Britain in 1957, the country established an elective monarchy, rotating, we might say, regulated by Article 32 of the Constitution. Malaysia, in fact, is made up of thirteen states, but only nine are governed by royal families. It is from among these that every five years, the new sultan is chosen through a secret ballot. The current sovereign, for example, was elected on 26 October 2023 by the Council of Rulers, took the oath at the Palace on 31 January 2024 and was officially crowned in July of this year.
The role of the King
The Sultan has a symbolic, ceremonial function, as Head of the Government and of the Armed Forces, protector of peace, of the traditions of the Malaysia and the Islamic religion. Laws and the possible dissolution of Parliament require his assent. He can also grant pardons and establish a state of emergency. According to custom, the monarch should not express opinions on political matters, but his role has evolved over time. For example, the previous sultan, Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang, wanted to have a say in the choice of his prime minister (after all, the sultan sets all his official acts based on the opinion of the prime minister). ABC News also recalled that during an interview with Singapore Straits Times, in November 2023, Ibrahim Iskandar made it clear that he did not want to waste his time as “Puppet King”. In fact, he stressed that he wanted to strengthen the unity of the country, fight against corruption and create a greater balance between the various ethnic groups of the nation, trying to stem the process of Arabization.
Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar
The new monarch of Malaysia is 65 years old, of English origins on his mother’s side and has a wealth valued at 5.7 billion dollars, according to Bloomberg’s estimate, which has defined him “a motorcycle and Ferrari enthusiast and a true Instagram expert.” The Guardian highlighted his passion for Harley-Davidsons, which he used to ride around Johor distributing aid to the poorest. Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar He also has interests in real estate and telecommunications. He also has a personal army, Business Insider revealed (Johor’s royal family is the only one of Malaysia’s nine to have soldiers at its disposal thanks to the 1885 treaty between Johor and Britain, as explained by Jstor.org), a fleet of private jets and three hundred luxury cars (one was apparently a gift from Adolf Hitler because, the sultan explained in a 2013 interview cited by Business Insider, the dictator was a friend of his great-grandfather).
The new Queen of Malaysia
The profile of the new sovereign, Raja Zarith Sofiahis equally interesting. A graduate of Oxford in Art and Sinology in 1983, the Queen comes from the royal family of Perak, is an author of children’s books and from her marriage to Ibrahim Iskandar six children were born, five sons and one daughter. Her official title is “Raja Permaisuri Agong” (literally “Supreme Queen”. The term “permaisuri” comes from Sanskrit) and in the Malay hierarchical order the sovereign is preceded only by the Sultan, as also stated in Article 32(2). As underlined in Article 34 (2), (3), (6) Raja Zarith Sofiah and the King cannot engage in profit-making activities during the five years of their reign (but the Queen receives a royal allowance).
The coronation ceremony
On July 18, the Malaysian National News Agency, a Malaysian government news agency, explained that the coronation celebrations began at the National Mosque with the recitation of the thirty-sixth sura of the Quran, “Ya Sin” (the title comes from the name of the two Arabic letters ya and sin and is usually chanted to obtain forgiveness of sins) and with the “Doa selamat” prayer ceremony. On July 20, the royal couple entered the “Balairung Seri” (Throne Room) of the Palace to the sound of the nafiri (a trumpet) and listened to the “Nobat Diraja Perak” (royal orchestra) play, as per tradition, the “Raja Berangkat”. At the beginning of the rite, the sultan kissed a copy of the Quran as a sign of loyalty and submission. Then, as the Daily Mail explained, he received a golden sword, a symbol of his power, and listened to the oath of loyalty by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. It was the latter, after having recalled that themonarchical institution He is a pillar for the entire nation, reading the official letter of proclamation given to him by the Grand Chamberlain. “God willing, I will fulfill my duties loyally and honestly to reign fairly.”declared the new sultan in his first speech after being sworn in. At the end of the ceremony, the guests present shouted three times: “Daulat Tuanku!”, that is to say “Long live the king!”.
The fourteen-pointed star
For the ceremony, Ibrahim Iskandar showed off the Malaysian regalia, including the short sword (the “keris” or “kriss” of Salgari’s memory, with the “wave” blade, in the shape of a snake), the “Pending Diraja”, that is the traditional buckle and the “Tengkolok Diraja”, the headdress embellished with the symbols of the crescent moon (which represents Islam) and the fourteen-pointed star known as the “Bintang Persekutuan”. This last emblem refers to the number of original states of Malaysia. In the past, in fact, there were fourteen with Singapore, excluded in 1965. Despite this, the design of the star has remained unchanged both on the sovereign’s headdress and on the flag of the nation. Iskandar Ibrahim also wore the “muskat”, the official dress of the Sultan of Malaysia, while his wife opted for a traditional “Baju Kurung”. The outfits of both sovereigns were in shades of yellow, gold and black, symbols of power. The first, in particular, is the colour of the royal family. We also find it on the crescent moon and the star that make up the flag of Malaysia. Some decorations for the rite, then, were made in “Tiffany blue”, a light blue tending towards green, since it is the Queen’s favourite colour.
Gifts for guests
The Malaysian rulers were given a special welcome at the Palace, through the “Pecah Bendera” ceremony: “The arrival of each ruler was followed by the pecah bendera ceremony, which is part of the royal protocol, during which the ruler’s personal flag is raised to signal his presence.”said the Commander of the 12th Infantry Brigade, Muhammad Fauzi Abu Bakar, to the Malaysian National News Agency. All the guests were then given small gifts, medals that the Sultan wanted decorated with the motif of thehibiscusthe symbolic flower of Malaysia and the Crown. “Sultan Ibrahim chose…the hibiscus, which symbolises His Majesty as the Head of the Malaysian State, although the royal emblems of Johor are the pepper plant and the gambier plant”Datuk Azuan Effendy Zairakithnaini, Grand Chamberlain of Istana Negara, revealed.
Congratulations from the King of England
Charles III he wanted to send his personal greetings to the new sultan via social media: “Your Majesty, I write to express my heartfelt congratulations on your coronation as King of Malaysia. I look forward to working with you to strengthen the bonds between our peoples and deepen cooperation between our nations. As Commonwealth partners, the UK and Malaysia share common values and historic links in areas such as education, trade, technology and defence.”.
There is also a reference to the theme of ecology so dear to Carlo: “I hope we can continue to build on all that unites us in the years to come, including our shared commitment to tackling climate change and safeguarding the natural environment for future generations.”